Three share lead at Titleholders
Norway's Suzann Pettersen birdied the final hole on Thursday and joined South Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Sun Young Yoo atop the leaderboard at the LPGA's season-ending Titleholders.
Pettersen, winner of back-to-back LPGA titles in Asia last month, had six birdies and no bogeys in her six-under 66 at TwinEagles in Naples, Florida.
Yoo got as low as nine-under, but closed her round with a double-bogey and a bogey to fall into a tie for the lead in the $1.5 million tournament.
Ryu, who has already locked up Rookie of the Year honours, had seven birdies and just one bogey for her share of the lead.
The top trio were one stroke in front of a quartet of players on 67: South Korea's Na Yeon Choi, Australian Lindsey Wright, France's Karine Icher and American Cristie Kerr – the winner on Sunday of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico.
South Korea's Jiyai Shin was among another four players tied on 68 on the tightly bunched leaderboard.
Player of the Year Stacy Lewis, who needs a victory to have a shot at capturing the LPGA money title, settled for a 70.
LEADING FIRST-ROUND SCORES
66 - Suzann Pettersen (NOR), So Yeon Ryu (KOR), Sun Young Yoo (KOR)
67 - Karine Icher (FRA) Lindsey Wright (AUS), Na Yeon Choi (KOR), Cristie Kerr
68 - Brittany Lincicome, Julieta Granada (PAR), Jiyai Shin (KOR), Lizette Salas
69 - Karrie Webb (AUS), Danielle Kang, Cindy Lacrosse, Anna Nordqvist (SWE)
70 - Stacy Lewis, Ai Miyazato (JPN), Angela Stanford, Inbee Park (KOR), Feng Shanshan (CHN), Amy Yang (KOR), Katherine Hull (AUS), Jennifer Johnson, Caroline Hedwall (SWE), Sandra Gal (GER)
71 - Lexi Thompson, Kristy McPherson, Meena Lee (KOR), Mika Miyazato (JPN), Hee Kyung Seo (KOR), Giulia Sergas (ITA), Brittany Lang, Chella Choi (KOR), Belen Mozo (ESP), Jennie Lee
