MELBOURNE, February 9, 2012 (AFP) - Stacy Lewis and home hope Sarah Kemp shared the first-round lead after shooting matching four-under-par 69s at the $1.1 million ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open on Thursday.
Playing in back-to-back groups, Kemp managed to get around the Composite Course at Royal Melbourne Golf Club without a bogey while American Lewis had two bogeys in her front nine while tallying six birdies.
Trailing the duo by one shot is the top-ranked Yani Tseng, along with Brittany Lincicome and Paraguay's Julieta Granada.
Kemp was branded "the next Karrie Webb" following a very successful amateur career in Australia, but it’s proved difficult for her to produce the same type of success as her Australian counterpart.
Kemp finished a lowly 85th on the LPGA Official Money List last year.
"You go back to the drawing board and try again," said Kemp of her nasty habit of nailing birdie-filled rounds before stumbling when it really matters.
"I have done that several times. I think the more you are in that situation and the more you do it, the better you will be at it. Whatever happens tomorrow and on the weekend happens, I will work it out and I will get better."
Lewis said that she had got some tips on how to play the course from honorary Royal Melbourne member Greg Norman before her trip.
Lewis plays at Norman’s course, the Medalist, in Florida and she said that a few of the LPGA players who are members there sought out advice from Norman before heading Down Under.
"You can hit a lot of similar shots in practice there," Lewis said of the course in Florida. "We hit a lot of bump and runs up to the greens. That was good practice. We got some tips from him (Norman)."
Leading scores after the first round of the $1.1 million ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open (par 73) on Thursday:
69 - Sarah Kemp (AUS), Stacy Lewis (USA)
70 - Julieta Granada (PAR), Brittany Lincicome (USA), Yani Tseng (TPE)
71 - Sandra Gal (GER), Sarah Oh (KOR), Melissa Reid (ENG), So Yeon-Ryu (KOR), Jessica Speechley (AUS)