HONOLULU — Former U.S. Women’s Open champion A Lim Kim opened with an eagle and piled up birdies on her way to a 6-under 66 on Wednesday to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Lotte Championship.
It was a good start on a couple of levels for Kim, whose lone LPGA title remains that 2020 Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club played in December because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is No. 65 in the Race to CME Globe, and has only two tournaments left to crack the top 60 and earn a spot in the season finale that pays $4 million to the winner.
“It’s a good start today, so I think a fun day,” she said.
So many others right behind also have plenty at stake. The top 100 players after next week’s tournament in Florida retain full cards for 2025. Among those at 67 was Bianca Pagdanganan, who started the week at No. 107.
She was tied for the lead until a pair of late bogeys and then made birdie on the par-5 18th at Hoakalei Country Club. Pagdanganan avoided the blustery afternoon conditions on Oahu that kept anyone from catching Kim.
“I took advantage of all the birdie putts that I had, gave myself a lot of opportunities,” Pagdanganan said. “But at the same time, still managed to play smart out there. Again, with the conditions, it’s easy to get impatient.”
Also at 67 were Ruixin…
