Date: April 27, 2018
Author: Mark Hayes

Oh finds form in happy place

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Familiarity in golf should never be underestimated.

Then again, Su Oh is probably happy about change, too.

The young Victorian took a giant step towards rectifying a slow start to her 2018 LPGA Tour campaign today when she carded a 68 to share the first-round lead at the MediHeal Championship in San Francisco.

Oh, whose previous best result this year is a T48 finish at the HSBC in Singapore, was one of five to land at four under at a cool and breezy Lake Merced Golf Club.

The 2016 Olympian shares a star-studded top billing with Lydia Ko, I.K. Kim, Jessica Korda and Caroline Hedwall after a day during which only 38 players broke par.

One of those was the ultra consistent Minjee Lee, whose 70 left her in a share of 10th, while her fellow West Australian Hannah Green carded a 73 to sit T63.

But their countrywomen Rebecca Artis (75) and Sarah Jane Smith (78) will have work to do to reach the weekend action.

It's that Saturday and Sunday play that has uncustomarily eluded Oh this year in which she has made just five of eight cuts.

But on a course that helped her kickstart her brilliant 2016 campaign at what was then the Swinging Skirts Classic, Oh felt at home back at the pointy end of the leaderboard.

"I hit the ball really solid today and the (greens) I missed, I made some really good up and downs, so I'm happy," the Melburnian said after her bogey-free round.

"I've been playing not that great, but I didn't feel (a good result) was so far away.

"I really like this course — we played the Swinging Skirts here and I played US Junior here, so I'm familiar with it and really like it.

"It's just comfortable. You have to get the lines right on this course – it's pretty tight, so knowing it and being able to play it a few times definitely helps."

But with the old came a very large helping of new.

"I put a brand new set of (Ping) irons in this week. They're new shafts … way heavier, (I've gone) back to steel (and it) feels a lot more stable," Oh said.

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