HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — For the second time in four years, Nicole Castrale topped the leaderboard after the first round of the LPGA Championship.
This time, if she can avoid twisting her ankle on a pesky drain, Castrale might leave Bulle Rock with a memory worth cherishing.
Castrale birdied six of the first nine holes and carded a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead over rookie Anna Nordqvist.
Castrale’s 6-under 30 was the lowest score on the front nine at Bulle Rock since the tournament moved from DuPont Country Club in 2005. Taking advantage of a wet course that rendered the greens slow and true, Castrale played virtually flawless golf until a drive into the rough on 18 led to her only bogey of the day.
“It was good to start off well,” Castrale said. “On the front nine all my iron shots were going right at the pin, and it was a great feeling.”
Putts of 6, 12 and 20 feet produced birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 6.
Then, after a par, she used two 3-foot birdie putts to make the turn at 30.
Shanshan Feng of China was third at 67. Feng made her only bogey on No. 13, but moved up the leaderboard with birdies on 15 and 16.
Seven players were tied at 68, including Na Yeon Choi and Paige Mackenzie. Michelle Wie, seeking her first win on the tour, shot a 70.
Lorena Ochoa carded a 72, defending champion Yani Tseng was at 73, and Brittany Lincicome, seeking to win a second straight major, had five bogeys en route to a 75.
Mickelson makes his return.
Returning to work for the first time since disclosing last month that his wife has breast cancer, Mickelson got off to a solid start at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., with a 2-under 68 that left him four shots behind Brian Gay.
Mickelson wore a pink ribbon stitched into the side of his white cap and at times looked fatigued.
“It wasn’t a great round, but it was a good start,” Mickelson said. “It was fun to play.”
Jose Maria Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion recently elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, was the day’s surprise.
Still coping with arthritis pain, the Spaniard shot a 66 to finish in a group that included Rich Beem and Graeme McDowell.
John Daly’s comeback was for vastly different reasons, and the result not quite the same.
He played on the PGA Tour for the first time since a six-month suspension for off-course activities that brought unwanted publicity. Daly opened with eight straight pars and a birdie, but his putter failed him. He followed with three straight bogeys for a 72. The Associated Press
