Staff WriterIf there’s a better way to announce yourself at The Standard Portland Classic than opening with an eight-under 64, Adela Cernousek hasn’t read the memo. The 22-year-old Czech rookie, in her very first start at the event, treated Columbia Edgewater Country Club like it was her personal short-game clinic—no bogeys, every green hit, and a front-row seat at the top of the leaderboard.
Five-under between holes 4 and 7, an eagle at the par-5 seventh, and a tap-in birdie on her final hole (after the ball nearly disappeared for eagle) had Cernousek grinning. “Yeah, actually I had a little scream. I thought it was going to go in. But no, I’m super happy to hit the pin because it stayed pretty close and it was cool,” she said, clearly still buzzing.
Not bad for someone ranked No. 454 in the Rolex Rankings with just two LPGA Tour cuts made all season. This is also her first post-round lead in an LPGA event—proof that sometimes rookies don’t just knock politely on the door, they kick it off the hinges.
The Chase Pack Brings Firepower
Hot on Cernousek’s heels are five players at seven-under: Jeongeun Lee5, Sung Hyun Park, Miranda Wang, Brooke Henderson, and Gurleen Kaur.
Lee5, who finished runner-up here in 2021, opened her week by holing out for eagle on the first, hitting 17 of 18 greens, and posting her lowest round of the year.
Park also torched the place, bettering her season low by three shots and making four straight birdies from the second hole. Her front nine contained just three pars—the golfing equivalent of ordering dessert before dinner.
Miranda Wang, meanwhile, matched her season best with a bogey-free 65, finishing with a birdie blitz. “I try to do it more often, to put my name on the leaderboard… Eventually I want to win, so I want to give myself as many chances as possible,” she said.
Brooke Henderson, who owns back-to-back Standard Portland Classic titles from 2015 and 2016, showed exactly why she’s dangerous here—four birdies in a row to start, no bogeys, and a little nostalgia mixed in. “I love coming back to this place. I do have a lot of the great memories… A lot of good things happened to me here,” she said.
Kaur posted her career-best LPGA round—eight birdies, one bogey, and a front-nine 31. “It was nice to just relax and get my game in good shape… Made a lot of good putts, so, yeah,” she shrugged, as if a 65 happens every Thursday.
Others Lurking
Five players are tied for seventh at six-under, including Ashleigh Buhai, Linn Grant, Perrine Delacour, Haeran Ryu, and Arpichaya Yubol.
Buhai, runner-up here in 2020, was bogey-free, Grant wielded just 23 putts, and Ryu—on her debut at The Standard Portland Classic—hit 17 greens in regulation.
Yubol recorded her best-ever score at the event, and Delacour, fourth here in 2021, matched her season low.
The Moments Between the Birdies
There was a hole-in-one from Caroline Masson at the par-3 second—though she couldn’t actually see it drop—and a welcome return for Juli Inkster, making her first LPGA start since 2022 with a tidy three-under.
Stephanie Meadow, back after almost a year away, admitted to feeling “like a fish out of water” but fought her way to an even-par 72.
Opening Day Verdict
If day one is a preview of what’s to come, The Standard Portland Classic is shaping up to be part birdie-fest, part rookie fairytale.
Cernousek might be the surprise name at the top, but with proven champions, fearless first-timers, and a leaderboard tighter than a drum, Friday could be even wilder.
After all, in Portland, they don’t just keep it weird—they keep it low.
