SBS Open – 1st Round

Angela Stanford's bogey-free round of 65 gives her the first-round lead at the SBS Open.  Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie are one shot back tied for second place while Kyeong Bae is in fourth place two shots behind.

The wind really picked up in the afternoon and made scoring a bit tougher for the late groups.  Wie, Momoko Ueda and Angela Park were the only afternoon players to break 70.  The commentators called it a "two-club" wind on at least one occasion and the forecast is calling for even higher winds the next two days.  Considering that wind, Wie's 66 (eight birdies versus two bogeys) is especially notable.  If the greens get dried out, 72 might become a great score.  Other scores after the jump.

As expected, Michelle Wie got the lion's share of the coverage but the other rookies got some time too - Stacy Lewis and Vicky Hurst primarily but we also saw Haeji Kang (she was in Wie's group).  We didn't get to see Mika Miyazato (she played very early) but her first round as an LPGA member was a solid 70.

Found out during the coverage that Natalie Gulbis had a fracture in her back (!) which explains the long layoff after the Safeway in August.  Speaking of back problems, GC showed a before/after x-ray of Stacy Lewis detailing how misshapen her spine was due to scoliosis.  To see for yourself, check out stacysback.com.  How Lewis is playing golf at all after what she has been through physically is just amazing.

Kudos to Golf Channel for inviting Yani Tseng into the booth after her round.  The extended interview time with a non-American player was a great way to start the new season.  I had a little trouble understanding some of what she had to say, but I still enjoyed and appreciated the gesture.