Foreign News
Kiara Romero shoots 64 in professional debut, two back in Canada
EDMONTON, Alberta — Miyu Yamashita shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday for a one-stroke lead over fellow Japanese player Nasa Hataoka in the CPKC Women’s Open, with two Canadian teenagers on the leaderboard in the national championship.
American Kiara Romero was third at 64 in her first round as a professional, a stroke ahead of the Canadian teens — 17-year-old Anna Huang and 18-year-old amateur Michelle Xing — and China’s Ruoning Yi.
Yamashita closed her morning round at Stanley Thompson-designed Royal Mayfair with a birdie on the par-4 ninth. She won the Meijer LPGA Classic in June after taking the AIG Women’s Open and Maybank Championship last year.
“It’s been a while since I finished the first round in good position, so I was able to make some putts as well,” Yamashita said. “I’m pretty happy with how I played.”
She wasn’t pleased about the abundant mosquitoes on the tree-lined course tucked in a bend in the North Saskatchewan River near downtown.
“There’s so many bugs on the course,” Yamashita said.
Hataoka finished with a bogey on No. 9.
“No wind today and so many mosquitoes,” she said.
Huang, from Vancouver, British Columbia, has four victories on the Ladies European Tour, two last year and two this season.
“I think I’m definitely a lot more confident than I was the past few years coming into this event,” Huang said.
Xing, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, is set to begin her freshman year at UCLA.
“I was just trying to keep it simple.” Xing said. “Like a lot of the time just trying to get the speed with certain putts because I had a lot of long putts.”
The 20-year-old Romero is the second player to earn LPGA Tour membership through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway, following Lottie Woad last year.
Jennifer Kupcho topped the group at 66.
Top-ranked Nelly Korda was at 67 with Canadian star Brooke Henderson, the 2018 and 2025 champion.
“The scores are very low out here today,” Henderson said. “Just trying to go out tomorrow and make a bunch of birdies and try to catch them.”
Lydia Ko, the 2013 winner at Royal Mayfair as an amateur, opened with a 70.
