Ko in contention

It’s the first time Lydia Ko has played the Shoprite LPGA Classic presented by ACER since 2014, but her return is off to a solid start.

Ko, who found the winner’s circle earlier this season after a year-long dry spell and currently sits 11th on the Race to the CME Globe, fired a 4-under-par 67 to sit tied for fourth.

Ko made five birdies Friday and just one bogey and said she played well.

The Shoprite event is a bit of a race to the finish, since it’s only three rounds. Ko said she wanted to get out to as quick a start as she could but realized everyone was playing the same amount of holes.

“You do obviously want to play solid because there are less chances to catch up if you are a little behind,” she explained.

Ko started on the back nine of the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club’s Bay Course and was 3-under par when she made the turn. She admitted she made a “lousy” bogey on the par-4 8th (her 17th hole of the day) but bounced back with a birdie on No. 9 to finish her day.

“Actually gave myself a lot of looks for birdie, especially on my front nine. I had quite a few lip-outs and some close ones,” she said. “Overall I played really solid.”

Lindberg has solid first impression with new clubs

Since winning her first major at the ANA Inspiration earlier this year, Pernilla Lindberg has seen her confidence boosted to a level it’s never been at before.

And it’s showing in her play.

“I mean, golf, it obviously helps a lot when you're confident when you step out there. There is so much about that, she said Friday after a 4-under-par 67 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

“I just feel like I probably can play a little bit more free just because I have a little bit more confidence.”

Lindberg sits in a tie for fourth with nine other golfers, just one shot back of the lead.

She started on the back nine and got off to a fast start, birding her opening hole and then she knocked a 7-iron into the hole from 144 yards for an eagle on the par-4 13th.

She admitted with a smile that the clubs she is using this week are actually brand new, and that was the first shot she had hit in competition with that particular 7-iron. She said Ping, her sponsor, was probably not expecting her to put them into her bag that quickly, so she only had a nine, seven, and 5-iron in her bag Friday. The even numbers, and her wedges, are from her old set.

“That was my first 7-iron out there and I slam-dunked it, so hopefully the rest are in the clubhouse waiting for me now,” she said.

Recari off to a great start

It was Beatriz Recari’s second-lowest opening round on the LPGA Tour so far this year, and she said she feels “really good” about her 4-under-par 67.

Her score after the opening round of the Shoprite LPGA Classic has her tied for fourth with eight other golfers, her lowest such position after an opening round this season.

Recari said it was a combination of things that got her off to a good start Friday in New Jersey. She said the golf course is also one that fits her eye.

“I've always scored really well here. Always had really good finishes. I don't really know how to explain why it's a good fit for me, but I feel very comfortable,” she said. “I've been working hard on my game and it's definitely paying off. I hit the ball really, really solid. I had a very good few weeks of building up and improving bit by bit, and I am very pleased with today.”

Recari, a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour, said she got “derailed” trying to hit it longer in the past, but has recently gone back to what has worked for her previously – hitting it straight, and playing her own game.

“I've had three wins on tour and obviously I know how to be successful, so it was just a matter of remembering what my game is and how I need to play,” she said. “I was very pleased with that decision. I felt more comfortable out there. I felt like it was more me, (more) my style of play… emotionally I feel a lot better sticking to my game plan and who I am.”

Yang battles back from injury

Amy Yang is a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour, so she knows what it takes to beat the best in the world any given week.

What she’s still working on, however, is recovering from a recent injury that’s limited her to just two events in the last three months.

However, Yang has put that injury struggle behind her. She shot a 4-under-par 67 Friday at the Shoprite LPGA Classic and sits just one shot back of the lead.

“It was pretty windy out there today, but shots were very solid out there,” she said. “I gave myself a lot of good chances and my putting was also good.”

Yang made just one bogey on Friday and had five birdies. It was her lowest round since the third round of the Bank of Hope Founders Cup in mid-March.

Yang got off to a great start at the beginning of the season, with four straight top-15 finishes including a tie for third at the first event of the year, the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. But she’s been battling an arm injury since April, she said, which has limited her practice time.

“It's recovering really fast,” she said. “I don't feel much right now. I just keep massaging it and limit how many balls I hit a day. I'm doing good.

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