Shadoff, Hsu share lead

ADELAIDE, Australia: Top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn struggled on day one of the Australian Open Thursday with England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling seizing the early lead.

The Thai world number one, 2018’s standout player, carded two double bogeys and two bogeys to be well down the field with a four-over-par 76, leaving her 11 adrift of the leaders.

Ewart Shadoff and Hsu both shot 65s to be two clear of a group of three including veteran Karrie Webb, who has 41 wins to her name.

New Zealand’s former world number one Lydia Ko and Australian Minjee Lee, ranked seven, are four strokes further back in the LPGA Tour event at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, alongside France’s Celine Boutier who won last week’s Vic Open. “To get off to a good start is always nice. I played really steady today,” Ewart Shadoff, a seven-year LPGA Tour player, said after her bogey-free round.