Brooke Henderson, currently fifth in the Rolex Rankings, lost to 194th-ranked Jenny Coleman on the first day of the LPGA Bank of Hope Match Play on Wednesday.
Henderson isn’t out of the event; the first three days use a round-robin format, with knockout rounds starting on Saturday.
Henderson took a quick 3 up lead with birdies on the first three holes but it was all square after Coleman birdied Nos. 5, 10 and 11. They traded birdies on 13 and 14 and it was a birdie on the par-5 16th by Coleman that proved to be the difference maker.
In other matches, top-ranked Jin Young Ko beat Natalie Gulbis 4 and 2, Danielle Kang knocked out Albane Valenzuela 7 and 6 and Patty Tavatanakit beat Sarah Kemp, 1 up.
Also Wednesday, Carlota Ciganda lost her match to Sarah Schmelzel due to a slow-play penalty that resulted in loss of the 18th hole.
The women’s tour hasn’t had a match-play event on its schedule since 2017 when Lorena Ochoa hosted a tournament in Mexico City that wasn’t even televised. This week, the famed Shadow Creek course is host. The Tom Fazio design hosted The Match: Tiger vs. Phil in 2018 and the PGA Tour’s CJ CUP last October.
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols contributed to this article.
