Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol carded a bogey-free 8-under-par 64 on Thursday to secure a one-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA’s Shanghai tournament.
Yubol birdied her first three holes and added another on the par-4 sixth hole at the Qizhong Garden Golf Club. She didn’t let up at the turn, collecting a birdie on Nos. 12, 14, 16 and 17 to notch her lowest round of the 2025 season, besting the 66 she recorded in the first round at The Standard Portland Classic.
“I think my putter is (working) today and then my short game, some holes I hit like close to make (a) chance to make birdie,” Yubol said. “This week like I try to trust myself more for my iron. Normally I hit draw but this time I hit a little bit like cut fade. … Like normally I aim to the right but this time I aim to the left and just trust myself and then just keep going.”
Yubol, 23, is seeking her first victory on the LPGA Tour. She has nine career wins on the Thai LPGA Tour and one on the Taiwan LPGA Tour. She missed the cut in her last start at the Lotte Championship.
Yubol holds a one-stroke lead over a five-golfer contingent. Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand totaled 10 birdies in the first round including four in a row on Nos. 5-8 and three straight on Nos. 13-15.
Three-time major champion Minjee Lee of Australia benefited from the use of her broomstick putter to join Thitikul, rookie Jenny Bae and South Koreans Jenny Shinn and Ina Yoon by shooting a 65 on Thursday.
“Yeah, I think I just don’t have as much pressure with it. Obviously it’s freed me up a lot and gives me a lot freedom to stroke the putt,” Lee said of her putter.
“If that is — if it goes in the hole or doesn’t, like as long as I put a good stroke on it I have no other control outside of that. So I think in terms of the actual fundamentals of it it’s quite simple, so I just like the fact that it is.”
Amateur Menghan Li made a hole-in-one on No. 11 with an 8 iron.
Li is tied for 27th place after shooting a 70, one stroke ahead of defending champion and fellow China native Ruoning Yin.
