Linnea Johansson is ranked 358th, but her 7-under 64 in the opening round of the JM Eagle LA Championship puts her at the top of the leaderboard. Johansson made 26 putts, hit 14 fairways and 15 greens in her fifth tour round this season. This is the first time Johansson has broken par.
Johansson said she had worked hard on her swing to improve consistency. “I think it was very helpful today, because I was able attack a bit more pins and give myself more chances,” she added. The greens are tricky. There’s a lot of movement, but I was able to match the speed and read them today. They dropped for me.
Johansson began her career in college at Nova Southeastern, before moving to Oklahoma State. She earned her LPGA Card in 2020 after several seasons playing on the Epson Tour. However, she is still searching for her first top-10 career finish. In Los Angeles, eight of the top-10 golfers in the world were in the field.
Johansson said, “It’s been a roller coaster ride the last couple of years. I have struggled a bit here.” “The girls are very good. The best players in the World are playing, so the competition should be intense. Everyone is going to find it difficult.
“But the days when everything clicks, when you hit the shots you want, and roll putts into the hole, those are the days that you enjoy it more. It’s competitive here, but it’s wonderful to start the tournament off this way.”
And ACTION
Getting things started at the @JMEagleLAChamp pic.twitter.com/M3yVjiARto
LPGA (@LPGA April 27, 2020
Minjee Lee is a former champion at Wilshire Country Club and shares second place with Gemma Dryburgh.
Cristie Kerr started with a score of 67. This is the 45-year old’s fourth start of the season. Her best finish was a 73rd at the Lotte Championship.
Lilia Vu shot 69, the same score as last week’s Chevron Championship winner.
