Canadian teenagers closed in on the leader, Miyu Yamashita from Japan, following the first round of the CPKC Women’s Open on Thursday. Yamashita shot an impressive 62 at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, putting her one stroke ahead of Nasa Hataoka and two strokes ahead of Kiara Romero from the United States.
Anna Huang from Vancouver and Michelle Xing, an amateur from Richmond Hill, Ont., were tied for fourth place at 5-under-par 65, just three shots behind the leader. Defending champion Brooke Henderson finished the round with a birdie, while World No. 1 Nelly Korda was also 3 under.
Huang and Xing were in a good position to make the cut for the first time in their careers after two attempts each. Both players expressed their goals and confidence in performing well in the upcoming rounds.
The first round of the tournament took place under cloudy skies with a temperature of 24°C. The players had to deal with mosquitoes due to the high level of rain in Edmonton since June 1. Many players were wearing long sleeves and pants to protect themselves from insect bites.
Henderson had a strong start with three birdies but faced challenges in the rough. Despite some setbacks, she remained positive and aimed for a better performance in the next round. Other Canadian players also showed promising results in the tournament.