Park, Hedwall and Stoelting shoot 66s to share LPGA lead

LOS ANGELES, California: South Korea’s Park Hee-young, Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall and American Jackie Stoelting each fired a six-under par 66 to share the lead after Thursday’s opening round of the LPGA Kia Classic.

In the final tuneup before next week’s first major championship of the LPGA season at Rancho Mirage, Park and Hedwall opened with bogey-free rounds at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California.

Hedwall began on the back nine and birdied six of her last 10 holes to join the lead pack. She birdied 18, followed with birdies at the second and third holes, birdied the par-5 fifth and eighth holes and closed with a birdie at the ninth.

Hedwall is winless in 125 LPGA events, her eight titles worldwide including five in Europe and three in Australia, including her most recent at the 2013 Women’s New South Wales Open.Park, whose most recent of two LPGA crowns was the 2013 Manulife LPGA Classic, began on the 10th tee as well but saved her best for last, closing with three consecutive birdies in a late-afternoon run.

Stoelting, seeking her first LPGA title, took a bogey at the par-3 third but responded by making birdies on six of the next nine holes then another to conclude her round.American Cristie Kerr, South Korean Kim In-kyung, Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Dane Nicole Broch Larsen shared fourth on 67, one stroke ahead of New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, American Jennifer Song and South Koreans Ryu So-yeon and Lee Jeong-eun.