Somin Lee earned low-amateur honors at last year’s HealthONE Colorado Women’s Open and the former Overland High School standout aims to do one better this time.
Lee, who recently completed her freshman season at Pepperdine, fired a 3-under-par 69 Wednesday at Green Valley Ranch while playing under the windy, more difficult conditions of the afternoon wave and took the first-round lead with much of the afternoon group still on the course.
Three players were tied for the lead at 71 after the morning wave, including former University of Texas golfer Shannon Fish, who recently was eliminated from the Golf Channel’s ongoing “Big Break Atlantis” reality show that was filmed during the winter.
Lee recorded three consecutive birdies to begin her back nine. On the par-4 10th, she nailed a 200-yard hybrid shot to within two inches of the cup. She rolled in birdie putts on Nos. 11 and 12 after knocking approach shots to within 10-12 feet.
Her round could have gone even lower, but she missed two good birdie opportunities on the back nine and made a three-putt bogey on the par-5 18th.
“The ball was wobbling,” Lee said of the putts on the finishing hole. “I don’t know, I just wanted to be done and rushed it.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
