(Reuters) – Americans Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie had contrasting fortunes playing together in the opening round at the ANA Inspiration on Thursday.
Thompson made a promising start in her quest for redemption after last year’s four-stroke penalty at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California.
She carded a four-under 68 to trail Swedish leader Pernilla Lindberg by three shots.
Wie, on the other hand, blamed dizzy spells for her three-over 75 that left her with a steep hill to climb.
“I had the mad spins out there,” Wie said.
“I just got really dizzy. I don’t know why or how. But it was interesting.
“I just sometimes get it from time to time.”
Wie, winner of the LPGA Singapore event early this month, joked that her blurred vision had given her a choice of five balls to hit from the rough at one hole on the front nine.
“Back nine I felt a lot better. I’m hoping that get a good night’s sleep tonight and make a lot of birdies,” she said, still hopeful of playing her way back into the tournament.
Thompson enjoyed a better day, happy to get the opening round out of the way after last year’s bitter pill.
Her four-stroke penalty for replacing her ball in the wrong spot for a tap-in putt and signing her third-round scorecard before the violation was reported effectively cost her the tournament, which she lost a playoff to Ryu So-yeon.
“I just wanted to start playing, and just to get the first round under the belt was a huge sigh of relief,” Thompson said.
“I take a lot of positives out of today. I hit some really solid iron shots.”
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
