Former Arkansas Razorback star Gaby Lopez put on a show on Friday in round one of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She made six birdies on the front nine to make the turn in 30 and cashed in two more birdies for an 8-under, 63 to lead after day one. The 8-under is tied for her lowest round in relation to par in her career. She also posted an 8-under at the Cambia Portland Classic last year.
"The golf course is in great shape, the whole environment plays with me instead of against me," said Lopez. "I've been working on basic stuff with my coach, Horacio Morales, that makes a big difference."
The 24 year old started with three birdies over her first four holes and rode the wave the rest of the day.
"I think if you start doing momentums and good feelings, good sensations out on the golf course, it's just confidence," said Lopez. "I'm trying to bring on the nice feelings that we actually have been working on."
Lopez took the Meijer LPGA Classic off and went home to Mexico to recharge after missing back-to-back cuts. She was fantastic with the putter, needing just 25 putts on the day.
Lopez was a two-time First-Team All-American just 25 miles away in Fayetteville. She played at Arkansas from 2012 through 2015.
This is the first time that Lopez will sleep on a lead on the LPGA Tour. She has three career top 10s, but no wins.
There are seven players one shot off the lead at 7-under, 64: Minjee Lee, Catriona Matthew, Nasa Hataoka, Moriya Jutanugarn, Lizette Salas, Mirim Lee and Aditi Ashok. Six players finished at 6-under and two back.
Of the 144 players in the field, 104 finished under par on a very scoring friendly day.
Stacy Lewis Looking for a Swan Song
While the results this year haven't been Stacy-like, she was clear in her pre-tournament press conference that her iron play has been mostly unaffected by the pregnancy. Less than four and a half months before she gives birth to her first child, Lewis turned in a 5-under, 66 in the first round of one of her favorite tournaments.
"It felt good," said Lewis. "There were definitely some I left out there, but it was one of those days I was hitting it so good that you have a lot of chances. So just had to keep trying to stay patient knowing that putts were going to go in, and all in all it was a pretty good day."
Lewis hit 11 of 13 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation. She made just one bogey.
After making one birdie and eight pars on the front nine, Lewis found her groove with back-to-back birdies to open the back nine.
"I feel like I never play this front nine very good and I can't wait to get to the back nine," explained Lewis. "I knew I had that back nine coming and just got in a groove with the irons, from 10 through 14 I hit some really good iron shots. The longer irons are a bit of a struggle right now with the belly, but the short stuff is easy and just keep trying to take advantage of when I have a short club in my hand."
Lewis seems to have a new perspective on golf with the impending birth of her child. Especially when it comes to the pressure of hole 17 at Pinnacle Country Club, which is know as the loudest hole on the LPGA.
"(Hole) 17 was definitely the highlight of the day, making birdie there. You see people following you all day, and little kids. I've learned to embrace it and learned how to have a little bit more fun with it and not see it as so much pressure."
What a fun story it would be if Lewis could pick up her 13th career win just months before she starts a family.
Moriya Jutanugarn Shows Out for PGA TOUR Friend
Moriya Jutanugarn had a special visitor on Friday and she didn't disappoint. Her friend Kiradech Aphibarnrat from the PGA TOUR came to watch and she carded a 7-under, 64, which is tied for her lowest round of the year.
"I hit the ball very solid and started making the putts," said Moriya, who was bogey-free. "Not a lot of missing and I think it is a pretty good day."
Aphibarnrat agreed.
"She's incredible," said Aphibarnrat, who has two top 10s on the PGA TOUR this year. "She never missed a fairway, hit every single shot inside 15 feet, which from the player to player, I can't do it. I believe that if they allow the PGA TOUR players to get into the field, I'm not going to play. They are going to kick my ass."
Aphibarnrat promised Moriya that he would come watch her play once she won her first LPGA Tour event, which she did in April in Los Angeles.
Moriya is just happy to be playing solid golf leading into the KPMG Women's PGA Championship next week.
"Of course (I want) to play good before major to get a lot more confidence. I think it's probably going to be different strategy (next week), but I'm in a really good feeling into next week"
Brittany Altomare's Good Luck Charm
Three years ago, Brittany Altomare's standard bearer in the pro-am at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship was a local high school golfer named Jaelee Snyder. The two struck up a conversation during the pro-am and Altomare even let her hit a few shots.
Every year since, Jaelee requests to be Brittany's standard bearer.
"I met her my first year here and I've played well here every year, especially when she's standard bearing for us, and I think she's my good luck charm."
Altomare shined on day one with her good luck charm following. She turned in a clean 6-under, 65. Jaelee even accompanied her during the post round interview.
"We just formed a relationship and she's always been very personable and nice and I just really enjoy her game and everything," said Jaelee, whose high school golf team finished second in the state of Arkansas. "Her putting was just amazing and everything was just better than I've seen."
Altomare finished T19 in Arkansas in 2017 and T13 in 2016.
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