Paula Reto opened her campaign in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday with a two-over-par 74 at the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, for a share of 63rd after the first round.
She made four birdies, three bogeys and a triple bogey as she ended the first day seven shots behind the lead held by Lizette Salas of the United States, who went bogey-free for her five-under-par 67. Salas led by one from England’s Charley Hull, with seven players in a share of third on three-under.
Reto started her round with a bogey on the first, and then her triple came on the par-four sixth. That meant she reached the turn in four-over 40. Things looked as if they could go south quickly for her when she made bogey immediately after the turn on the 10th, but she fought back well with birdies on the 12th, 13th, 16th and 17th. There was only one more dropped shot, on the 15th.
She is poised right on the cut line at two-over as she heads into the second round, but not as well placed is Ashleigh Buhai on five-over after the first round. She made a birdie, four bogeys and a double bogey in her 77, taking 34 putts in a round where she hit 12 out of 14 fairways and 12 out of 18 greens in regulation.
By way of comparison, Salas had only 26 putts on a course which was not playing easy. “It was definitely not easy,” she said about the major championship conditions on the historic venue. “We started with pretty wet conditions this morning, but the greens are rolling extremely pure. I had a really good warmup. I was really confident coming into this week, and I think my game really suits this golf course and kept it boring.”
