Paula Reto had a good start on Thursday in the LPGA Tour’s Volunteers of America Classic at the Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas as she carded a three-under-par 68 to hold a share of 16th place.
She made seven birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey in her round, and ended the day five shots off the lead held by South Korea’s Jin Young Ko. Ko was one shot ahead of countrywomen Jeongeun Lee6 and In Gee Chun, with another Korean, Min-G Kim sharing fourth on six-under with American Emma Talley.
Reto made a great start, picking up a birdie on the third, but she dropped that shot immediately when she bogeyed the fourth. She regrouped with a par on the fifth, and then went on a great run of four successive birdies to the turn which she reached in four-under. She gave back two of those shots with her double on the 10th, and another with a bogey on the 14th, but she closed well with birdies on 15 and 16.
Reto shares 16th with 17 other players.
The 25-year-old Ko lost the world number one ranking when Nelly Korda won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Sunday for her second straight victory. “That’s fine,” Ko said about dropping to number two. “And I’m still alive. So doesn’t matter really.”
