Sandra Gal broke out of a four player logjam at the top of the leaderboard at the CME Titleholders. She posted an eight-under par 64 and holds a one-shot lead over Rebecca Lee-Bentham.
Gal began her round on No. 10 with six consecutive birdies over her first six holes. She lost a shot with a bogey at No. 5 (14th), but came back to birdie three of her last four holes.
Gal did not have a win in 24 starts this season, but she earned $341,000 and had three top-10 finishes.
Lee-Bentham also started her round at No. 10 and birdied four of her first five holes. She added two birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 to post a six-under par 30 for her first nine holes. She made a bogey at No. 2 (11th) and added birdies at Nos. 4 (13th) and 9 (18th) for a back-nine score of 35. Her seven-under par 65 left her alone in second place, one shot behind Gal.
Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist and Shanshan Feng are tied for third at six-under par.
Thompson has won twice in her last four starts and has moved up to No. 5 on the LPGA Tour money list. She has always been one of the longest hitters on the LPGA and since changing her putting technique, has also become one of the better putters tour.
She is a native Floridian and should find the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort course in Naples to her liking.
Anna Nordqvist has two wins on the LPGA, but has not won since 2009. She was a stand-out performer on the winning 2013 European Solheim Cup team and earned $662,000 in 24 starts this year.
Shanshan Feng won the inaugural Reignwood Classic in October in her native China. Feng is ranked No. 7 in the Rolex Rankings and has earned over $1 million on the LPGA Tour this year.
Rolex ranked Nos. 1,2 and 3, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis were grouped together for the first round of the CME Titleholders.
Park posted a four-under par 68 and is also at top of the LPGA Tour money list with nearly $2.4 million.
She won the first three majors on the LPGA Tour in 2013 and has locked up the LPGA’s Player of the Year award.
World No. 2 and second to Park on the LPGA money list, Suzann Pettersen shot a first-round 72 and is T-40. She is eight shots behind the leader Gal and four behind Park.
With $2.284 million in total earnings, Pettersen is a little over $100,000 behind Park on the LPGA Tour money list. The first-place check at the CME Titleholders is $700,000 and Pettersen or Lewis could still slip past Park to win the money title.
Lewis shot a first round one-under par 71 and will have some work to catch Park over the next three rounds.
Second round action at the CME Titleholders can be seen on Golf Channel Friday 1:30-4:00 PM ET.