Fresh Faces and New Moms Lead the Way at Dow Championship Opening Round

🏌️‍♀️ Three New Partnerships Share the Top Spot After Day One at the Dow Championship!

What a day at Midland Country Club! Three brand-new duos tackled the tricky alternate-shot format on Thursday and emerged as co-leaders after round one.

The teams of Hira Naveed and Gurleen Kaur, Gemma Dryburgh and Nicole Broch Estrup, and rookies Michelle Zhang and Camille Boyd all fired matching 3-under-par 67s on the par-70 layout. 🔥

Alternate shot is known for exposing any weakness, but these co-leaders made it work by trusting their partners and finding their rhythm together.

Dryburgh and Broch Estrup grabbed the early clubhouse lead while celebrating some special moments. Dryburgh turned 33 on Thursday, and both players are new moms to baby boys born in 2025! 👶 Playing as a team for the very first time, they rolled in five birdies against just two bogeys.

Zhang and Boyd, who call themselves "The Baddies," brought serious rookie energy to the leaderboard. These two came out swinging and reached 3-under through just seven holes. A bogey on the opening hole created some early drama, but they answered with a clutch birdie on the fifth to stay in the hunt. 💪

The afternoon wave belonged to Naveed and Kaur, another first-time pairing who caught fire with four birdies and only one bogey. This marks the first time Naveed has held a share of any lead in her LPGA Tour career! Kaur, a Team Dow member receiving travel support this season, was the perfect partner.

The leaders hold just a one-shot edge over a packed chasing group. Five teams sit at 2-under-par 68, including Leona Maguire and Lauren Duncan, plus the Swedish duo of Linn Grant and Maja Stark. 🇸🇪

Friday brings the four-ball format, which means both players hit their own ball and take the better score. Expect the birdies to fly and the leaderboard to shuffle before the cut! ⛳