OCALA — Jessica Korda pulled a hand warmer out of each jacket pocket, showing just how cold she was during the opening round of the LPGA opener.
Her scoreboard told a much different story.
The 21-year-old shot 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Coates Golf Championship on Wednesday and was in a three-way tie with fellow American Stacy Lewis and Azahara Munoz of Spain. All three teed off in windy conditions and finished in chilly temperatures just before dark.
"I can't feel my fingers right now," Korda said.
This morning, temperatures are expected to be the 30s for the early tee times.
Twenty players failed to complete the opening round at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club,. They will finish up beginning at 7:30 a.m. today, just before Korda, Lewis and Munoz tee off in the second round.
Only 26 of 120 players were under par when play was halted.
American Austin Ernst and Ha Na Jang of South Korea finished at 5 under, one stroke ahead of New Zealand's Lydia Ko and South Korea's Na Yeon Choi. American Lexi Thompson, 19, and Mi Jung Hur of South Korea were 3 under.
Top-ranked Inbee Park was 1 under, one shot ahead of Michelle Wie. Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, was 4 over through 17 holes.
Ernst was a surprising name on the leaderboard. She hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation and was accurate on putts inside of 10 feet.
"I've had rounds in the past where you've hit it close and then you can't get anything to go in," Ernst said. "But today everything was going in."
Korda straightened out an errant driver on the front nine and birdied six of her final 13 holes. She's won two of the last three LPGA season openers — in Australia in 2012 and in the Bahamas last year.
"I just feel like I'm refreshed and ready to go," she said. "I'm just happy to be back. It's so much fun. It's like the first day of school; you're always happy to be back the first week of school."
Lewis birdied five of her final six holes, the last on an uphill 6-footer just after the horn blew.
Obituary: The PGA of Australia said former British Open winner and U.S. Open runner-up Kel Nagle died Thursday at a Sydney hospital. He was 94. No cause of death was given. Mr. Nagle won the British Open at St. Andrews in 1960, and finished second to Gary Player at the 1965 U.S. Open in St. Louis, losing an 18-hole playoff.