By: Max Bechtoldt
Someone finally broke free of the -3 log jam late on Thursday, as Marina Alex now leads the FM Championship by one stroke after a -4 68.
Alex’s day started fast with birdies on two of her first three holes, and before making the turn she joined the large group at -3. On the par 5 seventh hole, Alex’s 16th of the day, she got down to -4 and was the only one to stay there.
In the first round, Alex didn’t have a single bogey on a day where many struggled on TPC Boston. Her approach game was strong, hitting 15 greens and converting well also, with 29 total putts.
To say that there is a tight leaderboard behind Alex would be putting it lightly. Currently eight players are tied for second at -3, including Allisen Corpuz, Jeeno Thitikul, Lauren Coughlin and Haeran Ryu. Lurking just behind at -2 are Nasa Hataoka, Lexi Thompson and the hometown Megan Khang, along with others.
Alex has quietly compiled three top-10 finishes in 2024, and was relatively not far off from Solheim Cup qualifying for the United States.The 34-year-old is looking for her first LPGA Tour win since May 2022.
