Japan's Ayako Uehara shoots 62 to take NW Arkansas lead


AP
8:44 p.m. EDT June 24, 2016

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — One of Ayako Uehara’s best memories in her four full-time seasons on the LPGA Tour is a hole-in-one she made in her first appearance at the NW Arkansas Championship in 2013.

Uehara added to her growing list of memorable moments at Pinnacle Country Club by shooting a career-best 62 in the opening round Friday.

The 9-under round matched the course record and gave the Japanese player a two-stroke lead, a remarkable position for a player who entered the week ranked 214th in the world after struggling with her game for much of the year.

Uehara needed only 25 putts and made nine birdies in her bogey-free round, a score that bested her previous career low of 63 she posted in Malaysia in 2014. That was a year after her first appearance in northwest Arkansas, where she holed out on the par-3 17th on her way to a 25th-place finish.

It’s a moment she’s relived countless times since, especially in the days leading to the start of this week’s tournament.

“Since I got here this year, I’ve been watching this video of this hole-in-one many times,” Uehara said. “Also, I show my caddie.”

Taiwan’s Candie Kung…

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