Emma Talley turned in a strong 1-under-par 71 on Thursday in the first round of the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in Daly City, California, near San Francisco.
That had the former Caldwell County standout tied for 14th after 18 holes.
Talley’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 5th hole, which was the 14th hole of the day for Talley, who started on No. 10.
Talley actually birdied her first hole of the day, the par-4 10th hole at Lake Merced Golf Course.
Talley then bogeyed the par-4 11th hole before recording pars on her next 6 holes. Talley finished her first nine holes with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to shoot 1-under 35 on that side.
A bogey on the par-4 1st hole dropped Talley back to even, but the eagle on No. 5 had her a 2-under for the round. Talley finished the day with a bogey on the par-5 9th hole to shoot an even-par 36 on that nine and putting her at 1-under overall.
Talley hit 12 of 14 fairways on Thursday and 13 of 18 greens in regulations. She needed 31 putts.
The leader after one round of the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship is Leona Maguire, who fired a 7-under 65.
If that name sounds familiar, when Talley won the NCAA individual championship in 2015 while at the University of Alabama, two players finished just one shot behind her. One of those was Maguire, then a sophomore at Duke University.
The second round of the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship will be contested Friday. Talley will tee off at 8:43 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
After 36 holes, the 144-player field will be cut to the top 70 plus ties.
The projected cutline entering round two is 2-over-par.
