NAPLES – There appears to be no stopping Shanshan Feng.
Since August, when Feng won the bronze medal at the Olympic games in Rio, she hasn't finished outside the top-4. She also won back-to-back in her last two starts on Tour and continued that winning form on Thursday at the CME Group Tour Championship where she opened with a bogey-free, six-under par, 66 to lead by one ahead of So Yeon Ryu and Charley Hull. A group of eight players sit at four-under par including two-time major champion In Gee Chun.
“Well, I'm normally a pretty good ball-striker, but I'm not one of the longest hitters. For me it would be hard to really stop the balls on these greens,” Feng said about Thursday’s conditions. “But, I mean, I think the pin positions are still like reasonable. Like it's not like maybe three yards over the water or over the bunker. It still gives us room to actually land it in the certain spot and have a birdie chance.”
Based on her current position atop the leaderboard, Feng is projected to win the Race to the CME Globe’s $1 million dollar bonus. Click here for all projected standings.
Click here to watch Feng's post-round interview.
Watch Feng's opening round highlights.
Ryu admits to getting off to a rocky start on the driving range Thursday morning before opening with a five-under par, 67. The world No.12 says she committed to staying positive in knowing that she’s won before without her game at 100 percent. It’s a mindset she’s relied on throughout the season as she’s worked to make changes to her swing after beginning work in January with Cameron McCormick, the same instructor who works with Jordan Spieth.
“So what I learned through that is I just rather more focus to like imagination. You know, just keep imagine how the ball going to fly and what shot I am going to hit instead of where is my hand going to be, my wrist,” Ryu told the media. “So I think you I was really struggle all year this year, but that was the biggest thing I was learn back then. I think that study was really very helpful.”
While the CME Group Tour Championship marks the end of the season, it won’t be the end of play for Ryu who will return home next week to Busan, South Korea to compete in her close friend Inbee Park’s event, the ING Life Champions Trophy invited by Inbee Park. Ryu has kept in regular contact with her friend as she continues to rehab an ongoing thumb injury and says Park is still feeling pain when she’s tried hitting balls. On the upside, Ryu says Park purchased a Golden Retriever following her gold medal victory in the Olympic games who she fittingly named Rio.
Click here to watch Ryu's post-round interview.
Watch Ryu's opening round highlights.
Hull seemed well rested on Thursday as she cruised to a bogey-free, five-under par, 67 which included a streak of four consecutive birdies to make the turn. Hull played in just half of the Tour’s six Asia events and getting a break from the grueling season paid off for Hull who now sits just one-stroke back of the lead in search of her first victory on Tour.
“I always play well when I come back from holidays and stuff as well. Because I don't play well when I play too many weeks on the course because mentally I'm not there. If I like -- even if I have four weeks off, I would rather have four weeks off than play four, five weeks,” Hull told the media. “Yeah, because when I play too much golf I kind of -- I don't concentrate. I kind of get -- I can't explain it. Mentally tired. If I'm back home I'm kind of refreshed.”
Click here to watch Hull's post-round interview.
Click here for complete scores from the opening round of the CME Group Tour Championship.
)
)
)
)
