American Sandra Changkija birdied six of her last eight holes for a career-best 8-under 63 and a three-stroke lead on Thursday during the suspended first round of the inaugural Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.
Play was suspended at 4:20pm local time because of the threat of lightning in the area, and called off for the rest of the day two hours later with 72 players unable to finish the round.
Changkija, making her eighth start of the season, parred her first six holes after beginning play on No.10.
“My ball striking has been good for most every tournament I’ve played in,” said Changkija, who has made only two cuts and earned $6,708 this season.
“I just missed a few fairways here and there. I’ve been keeping up with my ball striking and just needed to make some good strokes.”
China’s Shanshan Feng, coming off a major victory two weeks ago in the LPGA Championship, shot a 66.
“I thought a lot before I started because I know that after you win a tournament, maybe sometimes you’ll be expecting yourself to do too well and then that would give yourself pressure,” Feng said. “But that was what I was trying to tell myself. I said, ‘Just keep patient and just focus on shot by shot and try your best’.”
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist also was 5 under with five holes left.
Suzann Pettersen, Angela Stanford, Karin Sjodin and Lacey Agnew shot 67.
Pettersen tied for second last week in the PGA Championship.
“I got off to a pretty good start,” Pettersen said. “I just feel like I’ve played a lot of golf lately, I’m feeling I’m playing very good, I have a good feel for the greens. I’m right there. It’s good.”
Australians Katherine Hull and Sarah Jane Smith were in a tie for 24th, in a group including American Michelle Wie, seven shots off the pace after an opening round 1-under 70.
Wie, trying to break out of a season-long slump, broke par for only the second time in 19 rounds this year.
Fellow Australian Wendy Doolan shot three double bogeys and four bogeys in a horror round to be 7 over after round one.
No.2-ranked Stacy Lewis, a two-time winner this season, was 1 over with six holes left.