On a day when only 12 players broke par in the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday, so level-par 70 was a pretty good place to be for Ashleigh Buhai, the only South African in the field of the major championship.
She shares 13th spot at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, Pennsylvania, three off the pace set by Brittany Linnicombe of the United States and Malaysia’s Kelly Tan. Six players carded two-under and four more got under par at one-under.
Buhai kept her card free of calamities, with most of the action happening around the turn as she made bogeys on eight and 10. She reclaimed those dropped shots with birdies on nine and 12.
The championship was delayed three months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Golfers contended with a cold and breezy autumn day and leaves scattered throughout Aronimink.
The last nine women’s majors have produced eight first-time winners. Buhai, with a play-off loss and a share of sixth in her last two tournaments, is clearly in a good spot to make a challenge to add her name to that list.
