Australian Sarah Kemp and American Stacy Lewis share the lead after Thursday&aposs play at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open. Both players hit four-under-par rounds of 69 on the opening day at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, which was enough to give them a one-shot advantage over world number one Yani Tseng, Paraguayan Julieta Granada and American Brittany Lincicome. Kemp played a consistent round of golf, avoiding a blemish, with three birdies in a five-hole stretch from the third to the seventh the best of her day. Lewis was slightly more erratic, shooting six birdies and two bogeys, with a mistake on the last hole costing her a chance of holding the outright lead. Tseng who won the same event in 2010 and 2011 hit five birdies and two bogeys in her round, as did Granada. Lincicome recovered well from a double-bogey at the par three fifth to shoot six birdies in her 70. A group of five players are tied for sixth, with Australians Sarah Oh and Jessica Speechley joined by German Sandra Gal, South Korean&aposs So Yeon Ryu and England&aposs Melissa Reid. Reid looked brilliant through the opening 12 holes as she raced to a score of four-under before an accidental altercation saw her caddie cut by a flag. The caddie of Sweden&aposs Anna Nordqvist who is in a tie for 67th at three-over-par struck Reid&aposs caddie in the face and the incident seemed to shake the English golfer, who hit three bogeys afterwards to limp to two-under. World number four Cristie Kerr finished her round at two-over-par while the second ranked player in the world, Susann Pettersen of Norway, had a day she would like to forget as she hit a seven-over 80 to leave her in serious danger of missing the cut on Friday.
Author: Sportal