(Reuters) - Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson plundered an eight-under-par 63 for a one-stroke lead over Lexi Thompson and five others after the first round at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday.
Henderson recorded an eagle and six birdies at Blythefield Country Club.
On a day when new world number one Ariya Jutanugarn carded a pedestrian 70, Henderson had control of all facets of her game.
“I felt great from the start,” the 19-year-old Henderson, already a triple winner on the LPGA circuit, told reporters.
“Everything was going my way. I was hitting the ball really well and some putts were dropping, which (was) kind of a change from the past few weeks.
“I had a really good feeling and made a lot of birdies, a lot of putts. I feel my game is in a really good place.”
Thompson, coming off a crushing playoff loss on Sunday, got straight back in the saddle with five consecutive mid-round birdies en route to her 64.
The American frittered away the Manulife LPGA Classic in Ontario on Sunday by three-putting the final two holes of regulation before falling to Ariya in a three-way playoff.
Noted as a strong driver, she was in control off the tee again on Thursday.
“This is definitely a great layout for my game,” she said. (I) hit a lot of drivers, which is nice. That’s my strength."