The first round of the Hartford HealthCare Women's Championship was suspended at 8 p.m. ET due to darkness. Shortly after the first tee shot of the day, play was suspended at 7:51 a.m. ET before resuming again at 11:15 a.m. ET. Before the suspension due to darkness, three players in the early wave were able to post impressive rounds and are currently tied for the lead on a tough day for scoring.
For the second tournament in a row, Jessica Porvasnik finds herself at the top of the leaderboard after the first day of play. The Ohio native started her day off hot with an opening bogey-free 32 (-4) on her first nine holes. Porvasnik would slip up on her 10th hole, carding a bogey. That would be the only mistake for the 28-year-old, who would go on to record two more birdies for the day and post a 67 (-5) for an early share of the lead with golf still to play for round one.
"I had a nice couple weeks off and went into this week knowing that my game was in a good place," said Porvasnik. "I tried to stay patient today. This golf course is really demanding in some areas, and it was fun today. I was just able to put the ball in the right spots and take advantage."
Alyaa Abdulghany matched Porvasnik on the day with a five-under round. Abdulghany put seven birdies on the card to go along with two bogeys and is off to a strong start for the week. Abdulghany has had an impressive showing so far in 2023, finishing in the top 20 in five out of her seven events played.
"I have high expectations for myself," said Abdulghany. "But I'm going to try to take it one shot at a time and see the results tournament by tournament."
The 24-year-old is currently No. 15 in the Race for the Card standings, just $10,000 away from cracking the top 10. Abdughany knows the importance of a solid finish to the season, taking some time off during the midseason to rest and make sure she is ready for the rest of the year.
"I had a good rest," said Abdulghany. "I needed a mix of taking a break and polishing up my game, and it was nice. The main focus for me was recovery and making sure I was 100% healthy."
Ssu-Chia Cheng was the third and final player to fire a five-under round from the early wave. Cheng's day started off slow with a bogey, but that would be the only blemish on the card for the day. She would birdie five of her next eight holes to make the turn at four under. A bogey-free second nine that included one birdie would get her into a share of the lead when she walked off her final hole. Cheng is no stranger to the winner's circle on the Epson Tour, capturing two victories since turning professional in 2016. The 25-year-old will try and make it a third with a couple more solid rounds this weekend.
"The course is amazing," said Cheng. "Personally, I feel like the back nine is more gettable and I was able to make some birdies on that side today. I definitely had a pretty good day out there, my approaches and putting were good, and I am just overall happy with how I played today."
Rounding out the rest of the top of the leaderboard is Agathe Laisne, who is currently -4 thru 11 holes and will be off with the rest of the afternoon wave that was unable to finish at approximately 7:00 a.m. ET.
QUICK QUOTES
Minji Kang (-3, T5) on a five-under back nine:
“I was struggling with my irons on the front nine but when I started on the back I stopped thinking about my score and played like it was just the first hole. My shots started to feel better, and putts went it. It was a good day.”
Jiwon Jeon (-3, T5) on how Great River Golf Club suits her game:
“It’s kind of tricky because there are a lot of slopes on the greens. You have to have a good target and execute it well with your game plan. For the most part, I did great, even if I missed the green. The rough is thicker here, so it’s not easy to make up and down, but I tried to stay focused even if I had a misshot. You can make a mistake easily on this golf course, but I think it’s really fair for all of the players out here. If you’re a short or long hitter, it doesn’t matter. You have to hit the fairway and hit the greens to make birdies.”
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