Angel Yin and Juli Inkster may have taken two years to finally make it to the Dow Championship together, but their partnership dubbed “Frick and Frack” wasted no time making a statement on Thursday.

The American duo opened the 72-hole team stroke play event with a 1-under-par 69 at Midland Country Club, sitting in a tie for 13th place after the opening foursomes round, just two shots off the pace set by three teams sharing the lead at 3-under 67.

Yin and Hall of Famer Inkster, who boasts 31 LPGA Tour victories and seven major championships, cleanly navigated the par-70 layout in the alternate-shot format. The duo carded 16 pars before Yin’s birdie on the par-4 17th propelled them into red figures, which they maintained with a par on the final hole. After turning at even-par 35 on the front nine, a 34 on the back carried them home for a 1-under-par finish.

It was a steady, if unspectacular, opening effort — but in a foursomes format that punishes mistakes swiftly, bogey-free golf carries plenty of value.

Nicole Broch Estrup and Gemma Dryburgh, Michelle Zhang and Camille Boyd, and Hira Naveed and Gurleen Kaur each posted 3-under 67s to share the early lead. Yin and Inkster will need to find a gear or two more beginning Friday, when the format shifts to four-ball (best ball), to move up the leaderboard with 54 holes remaining.

The pairing itself has been two years in the making — and by all accounts, worth the wait. Their friendship blossomed at the 2017 Solheim Cup in Des Moines, and Inkster has been trying to coax Yin into this event ever since.

“I asked her maybe jokingly, let’s go do that Dow thing,” Inkster said with a laugh during Tuesday’s pre-tournament press conference. “But you know what? I got to a point where, why not? Best ball she can carry me. Alternate shot she can carry me half the shots.”

Yin, who owns two LPGA Tour victories — including the 2025 Honda LPGA Thailand — and three top-10 finishes already this season, was happy to finally make the partnership official.

“Juli asked me two years ago and it didn’t work out,” Yin said. “This year I was like, well, has to be it because we can’t wait any longer.”

Beyond the birdies and bogeys, the week carries a broader significance for both players. Inkster — a nine-time Solheim Cup player and one of the sport’s most enduring champions — relishes the role of mentor, and Yin has embraced the responsibility of inspiring the next generation as a Girls Golf ambassador.

“If you don’t have fun, you’re doing this for essentially a lifetime,” Yin said. “It’s not worth it because life is too long for that.”

The Dow Championship does not carry Rolex Rankings points, but a victory Sunday does count as an official LPGA Tour title. Frick and Frack will tee it up Friday in four-ball, looking to make up ground on a crowded leaderboard.

Yin, Inkster Begin Dow Championship with 1-Under 69 in Foursomes Play

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