Kung tied for 3rd after 1st round of US LPGA event

The 31-year-old veteran carded five birdies and an eagle before bogeying the final hole, leaving her in a tie with Brittany Lang and Gerina Piller of the United States and Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand, three shots behind leader Ai Miyazato of Japan.

Kung managed to shoot a 66 despite being confused by the greens and not hitting the ball particularly well — with her irons or her putter.

“I didn't hit the putts on the center of the face at all the whole time,” Kung said after the round.

“I have absolutely no idea how those balls went in, but I was able to miss my shot close to the hole. I hit about two shots on the club face today. It's funny.”

Kung, who had six top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour between 2009 and 2012, felt in the groove when she tied for fifth at the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore at the beginning of March and was hoping to get back “the same feel in the swing.”

Tseng to Defend No. 1 Title

Taiwan's top-ranked Yani Tseng (曾雅妮), who won the tournament last year, finished the day tied with countrywoman Amy Hung and 18 others for 39th with a 2-under 70.

Tseng's two-year run as world No. 1 is in jeopardy at this week's event, with South Korean Na Yeon Choi and American Stacy Lewis rapidly closing the gap.

According to the latest Women's World Golf Rankings, Tseng was averaging 9.33 ranking points per tournament, while Choi was at 8.71 and Lewis at 8.70.

If Choi or Lewis wins the tournament this week and Tseng fails to finish in the top four, she would concede the top spot. Lewis was tied for 11th after the first round with a 4-under 68 while Choi was tied for 21st at 3 under.

Tseng has not won in her last 22 LPGA events, pulling her down in the rankings.

The 24-year-old said she was not afraid of losing the top spot because holding the honor has been “tough and lonely” and put a lot of pressure on her, preventing her from enjoying the game, according to an AP report.

“Last year, I really cared about world No. 1 and the people behind me, and whether they were going to catch me,” said Tseng ahead of the tournament.

“I looked at media, what fans were saying, and it just drove me crazy,” she told Golf Channel.

“This year, I'm going to prepare every week, and prepare to win. If I don't win, we go on to next week. I think that's why golf is so much fun. I'm not focused on world No. 1 anymore. I just want to have fun and enjoy this as much as I can and if I lose it, just get it back,” she said.

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