American women excel on first day of LPGA Match Play event

Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst is spending the week in Las Vegas, scouting players for the U.S. team that will compete in September.

Hurst had to like what she saw Wednesday during the first round of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play.

It was a good day for the American women, especially the trio of Danielle Kang, Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas, who dominated their first-day matches at difficult Shadow Creek.

“It was a solid day. I hit the ball good and putted well,” Salas said of her 5 and 4 victory over Madelene Sagstrom. “I knew I needed to get on a strong start this first match.”

Nobody started faster than Kang, the Las Vegas resident and unofficial host of the tournament thanks to her long history on the course. She won three of the first four holes and never looked back in a 7 and 6 victory over Albane Valenzuela.

“I felt right at home. This is my home golf course,” Kang said. “I know where to hit it, I know where to miss it. I think that’s a big advantage that I have, knowing the reads, knowing how the greens break.”

She also had about the only cheering section on the course, with a handful of her guests following her around the 12 holes it took for her to finish her day.

“I know that there are no fans, but my mom was out here,” Kang said. “She hasn’t seen me play golf in a while. It was really exciting.”

Kupcho made quick work of Christina Kim, winning four straight holes on the front nine to build a big lead and coast to a 6 and 4 victory.

“I played really well. I played really steady,” Kupcho said. ‘I was able to hit a lot of greens and, honestly, that’s how you have to play out here.”

It’s the same philosophy Kupcho will take into next week’s U.S. Women’s Open in San Francisco.

“I think this week is a really good preparation for the U.S. Open just because it’s so hard, it’s in great shape, and is playing as hard as the U.S. Open probably will,” she said.

Some of the lesser-known Americans had big days as well, especially Jenny Coleman, who lost the first three holes but fought back for a 1-up win over Brooke Henderson, the No. 5 player in the world.

It’s quite an accomplishment for Coleman, who had not played a match play event in seven years.

“It started rough, but then I started to turn it around,” Coleman said. “I wasn’t really keeping track of where the match was at. I just tried to regroup, hit some good shots and stay in the moment.”

Americans Annie Park, Amy Olson, Jennifer Chang, Lauren Stephenson and Jaye Marie Green all had impressive opening days, winning or halving matches against higher-ranked opponents.

And not to be outdone, the American veterans put victories up on the board. Gerina Piller won the first match of the morning, 3 and 2 over Hannah Green, and Stacy Lewis, Angela Stanford and Brittany Lincicome won afternoon matches.

Between the four of them, they have 19 Solheim Cup appearances. It’s the type of veteran experience that can be a huge benefit, Piller said.

“It’s just so different from stroke play,” Piller said of the mindset needed to win this week. “Obviously, you’re playing the golf course and the whole field, and now it’s just you and the other opponent, so anything can happen.”

Lewis, a 5 and 4 winner over Mi Hyang Lee, said thought process is vital at a course as difficult as Shadow Creek.

“It’s really a thinking man’s golf course,” she said. “I think that suits me pretty well.”

But all the players have to have their eye on Kang, who fired an opening salvo Wednesday and showed everyone the importance of course knowledge.

Asked if she thinks her fellow competitors noticed, Kang just laughed.

“You’ll have to ask them,” she said.

Greg Robertson is a freelance reporter who covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at robertsongt@gmail.com .