The opening game of the Ford Championship presented by KCC is underway, and with it, plenty of drama. After 18 holes at Seville Country Club, it was Pajaree Anannarukarn with a 9-under 63 late in the day to take the first-round lead. The bogey-free 63 equaled Anannarukarn’s 18-hole low, which she last recorded in the fourth round of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2021. After three birdies on her front nine holes β Nos. 11, 16 and the Aon Risk Reward Challenge Hole, 18 β her highlight of the day was five straight birdies on Nos. 5-9. It is the second time she has done so in her career and the first time since that final day in Thailand in 2021, where she also closed that round with those five consecutive holes under par.
βI think it was a good nine. With no bogeys, he came out 3 under par going into the back nine,β Anannarukarn said. βI played some really good shots today. I hit a really good driver off the tee and it gave me a lot of advantage once I got onto the green with short irons. I was able to hit some good long irons as well, so that helped.”
It is Anannarukarn’s second career first-round lead on Tour and first since the Amundi Evian Championship in 2021. However, one stroke off her lead, six players are tied for second at -8: the alum Epson Tour’s Isi Gabsa, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz, major champion Lilia Vu and 2024 rookie Gabriela Ruffels.
Ruffels, who posted a career-best finish last week at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship (T3), set a new 18-hole score on Thursday with a 64. Vu’s 64 is a new season low and best 18 -Hole score on Tour from third round 62 in her victory at ANNIKA 2023 driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Munoz was the first to close with a 64 Thursday after two bogeys, an eagle at the par-5 5th and eight birdies, including three straight after the turn from Nos. 10-12. The 36-year-old, and one of 10 #LPGAMoms on the course this week in Gilbert, is comfortable in Arizona after competing in eight editions of the Cognizant Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club between 2011-2019, even finishing in a tie for second in 2014.
βI actually thought about it when I was done. Yes, it’s been a while. I had some 5-, 6-unders, but no 8-unders, which is really, really nice,β said Munoz, whose 64 is the lowest 18-hole score since the Gainbridge-driven ANNIKA in 2023 (R1, R3 ). “Yeah, it makes me happy to know I can still do it.”
Celine Boutier, whose first of four wins in 2023 came close at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain, is tied for seventh with fellow champion Hyo Joo Kim. Two-time 2024 champion Nelly Korda, looking to become the first since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 to win three straight on Tour, leads an 11-player field into a tie for ninth at -6.
“I took Monday off and then I got out here really early on Tuesday and I just got off the golf course and got out here at 11:00 and gave myself the afternoon off,” Korda said of her pre-tournament strategy who was following her. victory in Palos Verdes. βThen I had an afternoon pre-am on Wednesday. I kept it pretty light at the start of the week, knowing I needed rest and that was the most important thing.”