Team USA wasted no time finding the top of the leaderboard after day one of the 2024 Women’s PGA Cup with a 5-under team total, as GB&I trail the two-time defending champions by 16 strokes.
GB&I’s Heather MacRae was joined by debutant Holly Morgan in carding individual scores of 2-over, which made up two of the best three scorecards for Cathy Panton-Lewis’ side on day one. Despite USA coming out of the gates quickly, MacRae recognises the race isn't over just yet.
She said: “I’m pretty happy after round one. I was nervous as I got to the first tee, the heart rate was pumping and the first drive went a long way – with the nerves I found myself three-over pretty quickly.
"Playing for your country is a big thing but you have to adjust to that and we’re just happy to be here.
“I made a poor bogey on 10 but that gave me a kick up the backside – I know I had been playing well prior to today too so that was what I needed to make a few birdies.”
Heather went on to record three in just six holes to ensure her contribution to GB&I’s total score.
“We’re not where we want to be but it’s only the first round and there’s plenty of birdies out there for us to get,” she continued. “With this format, it can change pretty quick and although you can’t win it on day one, you can certainly put yourself out of the competition and we didn’t do that. “
USA’s Joanna Coe led her team and the field with a bogey-free, 3-under 68, making one of her only mistakes of the day on the par-four 14th, causing her to navigate one of the many towering Douglas fir trees on the Meadows course.
“I made a couple of poor swings, but then I managed well on the second shots,” said Coe, making her third appearance in the event. “I was smart on where I needed to be on the correct side of the hole.”
Coe made birdies on holes 2, 14 and 15 to put her team at the top of the leaderboard, closely followed by Canada with Christie Wong and Katie Rutherford both producing 1-under 70’s.
Wong, a stalwart for Team Canada, book-ended her rounds with a slew of birdies, but encountered a stretch of four bogies in five holes to finish the front nine.
“I kind of lost my speed (on the greens) for a little bit,” said Wong. “On the back I told myself, ‘one shot at a time, you can hit the fairways, hit the greens,’ so that’s all I did for myself and I just gave myself more chances.”
Wong also has faith in her team going into the second round. “Our games are all pretty strong right now,” she said. “We had a few hiccups on the back nine today but I think we just continue playing our game and who knows what will happen at the end.”
The 2024 Women’s PGA Cup resumes Friday at 17:00 GMT / 09:00 PT at Sunriver Resort.
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