NEW JERSEY, United States — Laetitia Beck birdied five of her first nine holes and added three on the home stretch to set the pace at the first round of the ShopRite LPGA in Galloway, New Jersey.
Beck’s bogey-free, 8-under-par 63 earned her a one-shot lead over Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup. Briana Chacon, Germany’s Polly Mack and Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol were tied for third at 6-under 65 at the Bay Course at Seaview Hotel & Golf Club.
Beck, 34, has been a professional since 2014 and just last year landed her first win in the United States at an Epson Tour event. Her 63 on Friday marked her career-low round, Reuters reported.
She birdied the par-3 15th, the par-4 16th and the par-5 18th holes to finish a stellar round, where she hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and needed just 25 putts.
“It was going well today for sure,” Beck said of her putting. “I think the confidence that I had from the other day during the pro-am, making putts, reading the lines properly, helped me trusting that I could see the line even though the greens might be a little bumpy.
“And I’ve been working on the strokes, and I feel more comfortable than I used to before.
“Yeah, again, I made a few 15-footers that I usually don’t make, so that’s why – it was nice to keep going and keep making birdies.”
Broch Estrup had an interesting afternoon round, making all seven of her birdies in an eight-hole stretch from Nos. 4-11. She hit just 6 of 14 fairways in regulation, and she settled for par on the final seven holes, unable to tie Beck.
“It hit me on nine when I was – I had like, I don’t know, a 20-footer for eagle. Left myself like a three-footer for birdie and then I started shaking to be honest,” said Broch Estrup, who normally plays Europe.
“My biggest goal is to not get in my own way. I feel like I was definitely not striking it well today, but I just kept a smile on my face and took the good bounces.”
Chacon is a 24-year-old rookie making her eighth start of the season. She missed the cut in five of her first seven starts and has yet to finish better than T60; her 65, which featured an eagle 2 at No 16, was easily the best round of her LPGA career.
