Bad Start for Aditi in Gainbridge LPGA Golf

Boca Raton (US), Jan 24 (PTI) Playing her first event of the year, India's Aditi Ashok endured a disastrous opening round at the Gainbridge LPGA golf tournament, carding back-to-back bogeys before play was called off due to darkness here.

Teeing off at the tour's first full-field event of the season, the Bengaluru golfer was two-over through 15 holes, and was coming off bogeys on 14th and 15th holes, when darkness forced a stoppage in play on a day which saw high winds and heavy rain delaying play for nearly 40 minutes late in the afternoon.

At least 12 players unable to finish the round.

Aditi, who was 88th on the Tour last season, bogeyed third and fifth, but picked birdies on sixth and 11th.

The 26-year-old Jessica Korda shot a six-under 66 to take the first-round lead in the first official event in Boca Raton in more than 30 years.

Korda birdied her final two holes, finishing with a 25-foot putt on the par-4 ninth at Boca Rio Golf Club. The Florida player had eight birdies, including all four par-5 holes and two bogeys.

Tour rookies Yui Kawamoto of Japan and Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand were two strokes back with South Korea's Sei Young Kim. They shot 68 each. Tavatanakit won three times last year on the Symetra Tour.

Carlota Ciganda, Xiyu Lin and Lindsey Weaver shot 69. Hometown players Jaye Marie Green and Morgan Pressel struggled as Green shot 73 and Pressel failed to make a birdie in a 75.

Playing alongside Pressel, Lexi Thompson and Gaby Lopez also got off to slow starts.

Thompson had an eagle, a birdie and four bogeys in a 73, while Mexican Lopez is coming off a playoff victory Monday morning in the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. She had two double bogeys in a 78.

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