Lee, Szokol Match Career-Low Rounds to Share Opening-Round Lead of 8-under 63 at ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer
By Doug Milne
GALLOWAY, N.J.— Following a missed cut at last week’s U.S. Women’s Open in her only other start this season on the LPGA Tour, Korea’s Ilhee Lee dusted herself off and attempted to regroup headed into this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer.
Clearly, the effort worked well in her 200th start on the LPGA.
After reeling off birdies on six of her first 10 holes – and each of her last three – the 36-year-old signed for an 8-under 63. Her lone blemish came with a bogey at the par-4 13th.
Lee’s 8-under 63 ties her career-low score in relation to par from the final round of the 2015 Kia Classic (T10).
“I realized that the result is something that I cannot control,” said Lee. “It's going to be there. I'm just trying my best. That's how I play now. I used to try really hard with every single thing, but now, I just go with what I have right now.”
Lee missed only two fairways in regulation, hit 14-of-18 greens in regulation and needed just 25 putts to put an exclamation point on the round.
Though she largely has been sidelined by a 2019 shoulder injury, Lee remains in search of her second career win on the LPGA Tour and first since the 2013 Pure Silk-Bahamas Classic.
“I have been working more on my life than hitting a lot of balls, because of the injury,” Lee said. “My life is the most important thing. What I would like to do with my life in the future is more important for me. But, golf is fun. That's why I'm here playing. It was extremely fun playing today.”
With birdies on each of her first five holes and seven of her first nine, the United States’ Elizabeth Szokol matched Lee with an 8-under 63, also in her bid for a second career win on the LPGA Tour (2023 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational).
Also like Lee, Szokol’s 8-under 63 ties her career-low score in relation to par (final round of the 2023 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship/T10).
Szokol found 12-of-14 fairways, 14-of-18 greens in regulation and needed 26 putts. Having made six of seven cuts this season, she looks to improve on her best showing of T14 from the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
“It was great today,” Szokol said. “I got off to a really good start, so that was pretty fun. Then, I just kept hitting the ball really good. I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I'm happy with the day. There is a lot of golf left, but I’m really excited to see good golf and hard work pay off today. I look forward to the next two days.”
For many players, a first start in an event in one’s first season on the LPGA would understandably include a few first-tee jitters. Japan’s Akie Iwai, though, insisted on a different approach to starting this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic. And, it played out nicely as she made her way around the Bay Course at Seaview.
Following birdies on six of her first nine holes, the 22-year-old rookie played the inward nine in even par, good for an opening 6-under 65.
“No. 2 is definitely a tough hole, but I gave myself a birdie chance,” Iwai said. “It wasn't an easy putt, but since I made that putt, it did set the tone for the rest of my round.”
Though she comes off a missed cut in last week’s U.S. Women’s Open, Iwai recorded runner-up finishes this season at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro and Honda LPGA Thailand.
A host of players trail the Lee-Szokol lead by three strokes at 5-under 66, including Japan’s Saki Baba and the Netherlands’ Dewi Weber. A highlight to Weber’s round was an eagle-2 from 110 yards at her fourth hole of the day (No. 13).
“Right before I pulled the trigger, I remember my caddie saying it doesn't really matter where the hole is. We're just going on this line, which was quite a ways away from the hole,” Weber said about her approach shot. “I hit it on that line and the ball did exactly what it needed to do. It went to the left – even more to the left because of the wind – and I was, like, ‘that looks pretty good’. Then it just disappeared.”
Second-year LPGA member Gurleen Kaur, who began this week on the heels of six consecutive missed cuts, posted a 5-under 66, as did Germany’s Polly Mack. Before birdies on her last two holes, Nos. 8 and 9, Mack eagled the par-5 12th, her third hole of the day.
“I made some putts which really helps. The greens were still rolling pretty good in the morning,” Mack said. “I kept it all pretty steady. I hit a good amount of fairways, good amount of greens. Driver was good, so I was just down the middle of the fairway, had wedges into the greens and just turned some into birdies…and even an eagle. It was nice.”
Seeking a 16th career LPGA victory and first of 2025, Rolex Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda bogeyed two of her first four holes before signing for an even-par 71.
The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer features 144 of the world’s best female professional golfers vying for a share of the $1.75 million tournament purse. Now in its 31st year under ShopRite’s title sponsorship, the event is being contested on the Bay Course at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, N.J.
