Ryu Leads The Annika at 6-Under, Trump’s LPGA Debut Proves Challenging
Haeran Ryu fired a 6-under 64 on Thursday to grab the first-round lead at The Annika, while 18-year-old amateur Kai Trump struggled to an 83 in her LPGA Tour debut at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
Ryu, who claimed her third LPGA title at the Black Desert Championship in Utah back in May, caught fire with four consecutive birdies on holes 4-7 during her back nine despite breezy conditions.
“My shot is good and putter is good and everything,” Ryu said. “I’m so happy to make some a lot of birdies.”
The South Korean’s precision approach play gave her a one-shot advantage over Australia’s Grace Kim, who carded a 5-under 65.
Kim took a strategic approach to the challenging layout. “I knew that wind was going to be up a little bit, and knowing this course is generally on the tougher side, I just kind of just played my own game,” she explained. “I didn’t focus too much on a specific score as such. Made a few putts, which was nice.”
Jennifer Kupcho sits alone in third after posting a solid 66, while Charley Hull, Mao Saigo, Leona Maguire and Somi Lee share fourth place after rounds of 67.
Hull’s performance was particularly impressive given her limited preparation. “I played pretty sold considering I didn’t get here until Tuesday night and had to pull out of the pro-am yesterday because I felt sick,” Hull said. “So, I didn’t play the golf course. I had an early practice and managed to wing it round today.”
Meanwhile, Trump – the granddaughter of President Donald Trump – found the going tough in her first LPGA appearance. Playing on a sponsor exemption, the high school senior bogeyed the first four holes and finished with nine bogeys and two double bogeys to land at the bottom of the 108-player field.
“I was definitely more nervous than I expected, but I thought I hit a lot of great shots out there,” Trump reflected. “I hit a lot of good shots just to the wrong spots.”
Defending champion Nelly Korda had an unusually quiet day, carding 17 pars and a single bogey on the par-4 ninth for a 1-over 71. It’s been a different story for Korda this season compared to last year when she became the first player in 13 years to win seven times in a single season. She’s still searching for her first victory of 2023.
This week’s tournament carries extra significance as players make their final push to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Only the top 60 in the Race to CME Globe standings will advance to next week’s finale, where all qualifiers have a shot at the $2 million first prize.
