05/29/26 06:52:00
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05/29 18:07 CDT Laetitia Beck has career-low 63 and leads new mom Estrup by 1
shot at ShopRite LPGA
Laetitia Beck has career-low 63 and leads new mom Estrup by 1 shot at ShopRite
LPGA
GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) --- Laetitia Beck rolled in a 6-foot birdie on the final
hole Friday for an 8-under 63, the lowest score of her LPGA Tour career, giving
her a one-shot lead over new mom Nicole Broch Estrup of Denmark after one round
of the ShopRite LPGA.
Beck, the first Israeli player in LPGA history who last year picked up her
first win on the developmental Epson Tour, took only 25 putts on a strong day
on the greens.
The surprise was Broch Estrup, playing for the first time in 15 months while on
maternity leave. Her son, Max, is approaching his first birthday and is with
his mom this week.
"We're hopeful we can make it work as a family out here," she said.
The 33-year-old Dane last played on Feb. 15, 2025, in the Saudi International
on the Ladies European Tour. The LPGA policy for maternity leave allows for
players to return to the same status for up to two years after giving birth.
In her return, Broch Estrup made all seven birdies in an eight hole stretch
from the fourth hole through the 11th hole --- three straight birdies, a par,
then four straight birdies.
"I got really nervous, especially on the second streak," Broch Estrup said. "It
hit me on 9 when I had a 20-footer for eagle. Left myself a 3-footer for birdie
and then I started shaking, to be honest. But having Max here and having Max in
general just gives another perspective."
"My biggest goal is to not get in my own way," she said. "I feel like I was
definitely not striking it well today, but I just kept a smile on my face and
took the good bounces. Yeah, so it was nice day in many ways."
Briana Chacon holed out from the 16th fairway for eagle --- her seventh hole of
the round --- and was at 65 along with Arpichaya Yubol and Polly Mack.
Charley Hull, at No. 7 the only player from the top 10 in the world who is
playing this week, and defending champion Jennifer Kupcho each opened with 74.
The ShopRite LPGA is one of the two scheduled 54-hole events on the LPGA Tour.
This did not attract a strong field because of the scheduling, with the U.S.
Women's Open next week across the country in Los Angeles, held at Riviera for
the first time.
Beck has been around for 12 years, and while she has not won on the LPGA or the
Ladies European Tour, she isn't about to let a career-low score get her
thinking too far ahead.
But this was good golf, missing only three fairways and seeing the line on her
putts just as clearly as she did during the pro-am round on the Bay course at
Seaview Hotel.
"I was just able to make a lot of putts, didn't miss too many greens, few
up-and-downs, and it felt easy," Beck said.
Celine Boutier of France and Soo Bin Joo of South Korea were at 66, while Hye
Jin Choi led a large group of players a 67.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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