Yan Liu, the 27-year-old from China, is off to a strong start in the opening round of the first major of the year, shooting a round of -7 65.
Liu played phenomenally last week in the opening round at the JM Eagle LA Championship, where she shot -9 63, but struggled over the weekend particularly with her driver. All issues were fixed at least for the moment though.
Liu’s accuracy was incredible Thursday, especially for a major championship. With the heavy rain in the area, the course is playing a bit softer, and Liu took full advantage. She hit 13/14 fairways on the round and 16 greens. When she got on the green, she converted, including making a long putt on the final hole for birdie.
On Liu’s first nine, the back, she had just two birdies, but hit another green after making the turn with five birdies and no bogeys.
She currently holds a one-stroke lead with the afternoon rounds just now kicking off. Liu only has just one individual top-10 finish in her LPGA Tour career in June 2023.
