Admit it: You clicked on that headline wondering how on Earth it was that Heather Bowie-Young shot 39.
Well, she shot 39 for 12 holes in the first round of the inaugural Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.
A foot of rain fell on the island ahead of the tournament, leaving six holes of the course unplayable. Forced to find a way to conclude the tournament playing at least 36 holes, the LPGA announced it would play a minimum of a 12-hole round each day from Friday-Sunday to get to that magic number.
The 12-hole composite course created for Friday play used holes 2-8 and 10-14, with a par of 45. Bowie-Young had six birdies on the round against no bogeys.
" I made five birdies in a row, and two of them were par 3s," Bowie-Young said after the round. "One of them was a hole that was shortened into a par 3."
The leader made light of shooting 39 for 12 holes -- a better score than some she has posted for nine this season. The American was pleased with the conditions of the course and the LPGA Tour's decision to find a way to play.
"I'm really glad we're playing golf," she said. "The holes we've played were in very good shape, like I didn't hardly have any mud on my ball, so they've gotten the course in tremendously good shape."
Another weather delay, however, forced tee times back to as late as 6:15 p.m. ET, with those later groups like able to play no more than five holes. Officials will continue to assess the situation to figure out how best to complete the tournament.
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