By: Max Bechtoldt
Coming off the best finish of her career last week at the U.S. Women’s Open, Thai player Arpichaya Yubol is capitalizing on that strong play early on in New Jersey.
Yubol hasn’t had a strong LPGA Tour season, with only two made cuts, but she was the surprise of the second major of the season, with a fifth place finish.
Early on, it seemed that Yubol could be in contention for a 59, going -6 on the last five holes of her first nine. That potential increased when she birdied the first two televised holes of her round to get to -10. She only had pars on the final two holes, shooting a 61 which gave her a three-stroke lead.
Yubol hit 12 of 14 fairways and hit 16 greens, leading to tying Hannah Green at the Ford Championship for the lowest round of the season so far.
While it is a surprise to see Yubol back in contention this week, momentum is powerful on the LPGA Tour, so it makes some sense to see her continue that strong play. There is great and more experiences players on the leaderboard in contention so it won’t be a walk in the park. But for right now, Yubol seems in great shape to win her first LPGA Tour event.
