In a season that has been dominated by young rookies, it’s a veteran who has found her way to the top of the leaderboard.

54-year-old Juli Inkster carded an opening round 4-under par 68 at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic Presented by CTBC. Bolstered by a hometown crowd, Inkster started her day on the back nine at Lake Merced Golf Club and was 4-under par thru eight holes. Inkster made another birdie at the first but dropped a shot at the third to finish even on the front nine. She is tied for second, one shot behind leader Lydia Ko.

“That's the beauty about golf,” Inkster said after her round. “I mean, age matters in a lot of things as far as how your body feels and how far you hit the ball and how much time you can put into it. You can still go out there and compete at 54.”

Inkster had another Throwback Thursday earlier this month, posting an opening round 3-under 69 at the ANA Inspiration, but struggled on the weekend with rounds of 75 – 74 to fall out of contention and finish T-64.

“I played really well at the ANA Inspiration. Just didn't putt very well and took an eight on a hole. But I drove it well and hit a lot of good irons. I didn't play last week, and just coming into this week, my game feels pretty good.”

The Hall of Famer says she has been working with an instructor from Los Altos, California she’s known most of her life. Working with him has helped her game, giving her the confidence she’ll be able to stick around come Sunday.

“It would be amazing. I mean, that would be the feat of the year,” Inkster said. “I feel like if I can just stay close‑‑ today I made all my short putts and thought I putted really well. So that was very encouraging. Who knows? 54 holes is a lot of golf, especially out here.”

The 2016 U.S. Solheim Cup Captain is leading by example. GolfChannel.com’s Randall Mell reported earlier this week that Inkster invited the top-16 in the American Solheim Cup Standings to play CordeValle, just an hour from this week’s venue and the site of next year’s U.S. Women’s Open. This year’s Solheim Cup is September 18 – 20 in Sankt Leon-Rot, Germany.

Veteran Juli Inkster T-2 After Round One of Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic

Related Articles