Polly Mack leads Portland Classic after ‘flawless’ first round

PORTLAND, Ore. — Polly Mack shot a 9-under 63 Thursday in beautiful morning conditions at Columbia Edgewater to take the first-round lead in the Portland Classic.

Winless on the LPGA Tour, Mack opened with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 and eagled the par-5 third. The 25-year-old German added four birdies on the front nine, closing with two in a row.

“It’s a flawless cycle,” Mack said. “It seemed easy out there today. It’s a great start and that calmed me down.”

German woman Caroline Masson was also stroked by Natalia Guseva, Samantha Wagner and Hyo Joon Jang.

Playing in the afternoon, the 35-year-old Masson carded the back 9 in 7-under 29. He scored 10-14 and 16 and 18.

“I think golf is funny,” Masson said. “This year has been a bit tough the last couple of weeks. Sometimes you feel like nothing is going to go right and today I’ve been out of place a few times and out of the basement and into the next one.”

With the Olympics next week in Paris, no one from the world’s top 30 is on the field. The lone Olympian in this category is India’s Aditi Ashok. He was 70 in the afternoon.

The 21-year-old Guseva, the first Russian to earn an LPGA Tour card, had a morning wave with Wagner and Jang.

“Probably one of the best times for me in the LPGA was when I was just walking, talking, not even paying attention to my game,” Guseva said. “I thought I hit it well and it went in.”

Emma Talley shot a 65 in the afternoon to match morning starter Daniela Darquea of ​​Ecuador.

“It was really easy today,” Talley said. “Golf is a strange game.”

Lauren Coughlin, who won the CPKC Women’s Open Sunday in Calgary, Alberta, for her first LPGA Tour title, had a 66 in the morning.

“I finally got some putts that fell on the back nine,” Coughlin said. “It was a good round, especially if we think about last week. I’m very happy.”

Angel Yin was also 66 with Sofia Garcia, Grace Kim, So Mi Lee, Pajaree Anannarukarn, Cheyenne Knight, Jenny Shin and Dewi Weber.

Weber qualified for the Olympics under International Golf Federation standards, but the Dutch Olympic committee refused to send him to France.

Defending champion Chanettee Wannasaen shot a 68 in the afternoon. He won the Dana Open two weeks ago in Ohio for his second LPGA Tour title.