Brianna Do, Japan’s Chisato Iwai, South Korea’s Jenny Shin and the Philippines’ Bianca Pagdanganan each shot a 4-under-par 68 on Friday to share the first-round lead at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba.
Do birdied two of her first four holes at El Camaleon Golf Course in Playa del Carmen, then followed that with an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole. She bogeyed the par-4 ninth hole to close an eventful front nine, then added a birdie on her final hole.
“I got off to a pretty hot start,” Do said after making her season debut. “I think I was 4-under through 5, so that helped a lot.
“And then I kind of just kept it pretty steady coming in. I think the back nine plays a little tougher than the front, and so just giving myself opportunities on the back and then finishing with a birdie on 18.”
Of the foursome tied atop the leaderboard, Shin finished with the most birdies — seven — but also posted a bogey on No. 5 and a double bogey on the par-4 16th hole.
However, Shin was able to recover with back-to-back birdies to close her round. Overall, five of her birdies came on the back nine despite temperatures reaching 91 degrees.
“I actually don’t remember because it’s so hot,” said Shin, who notched 27 putts. “I don’t remember the first birdie. But, yeah, hit some really good shots and some bad ones, hence the double bogey on 16.”
Meanwhile, Iwai and Pagdanganan each collected five birdies and one bogey on the day. Pagdanganan’s bogey came at No. 16, but she finished strong with a birdie on No. 18.
“It felt like a pretty easy round, which honestly I haven’t felt in a while,” Pagdanganan said. “To be able to have that out here feels really good. I hit a lot of greens, not a lot of fairways. … I had a pretty clear headspace.”
Five players — Jennie Bae, Germany’s Olivia Cowan and Aline Krauter, South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi and Japan’s Minami Katsu — sit one shot off the lead after shooting an opening-round 5-under 69.
Eight players are two shots back after the first round, which saw every player post at least one bogey.
–Field Level Media
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