In this episode of The Birdie Briefing, Marie recaps round one of the Canadian Women’s Open. Fresh off her Portland Classic win, rookie Akie Iwai stormed into solo first with a 7-under 64. Just behind her, five players sit tied at -5, including World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, rising amateur star Aphrodite Deng (just 15 years old), past champion Megan Khang, Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, and Ireland’s Leona McGuire. Other highlights include Jo Soo Bin’s eagle-fueled -4 performance and a strong pack tied at -3 featuring Jenny Bae, Ariya Jutanugarn, Jeongeun Lee5, Peiyun Chien, and Mao Saigo. Big names like Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee, and Rose Zhang remain in striking distance at -2, while Brooke Henderson and others fight to climb from even par. Marie breaks down the leaderboard, standout performances, and early storylines to watch as the tournament heads toward the weekend.
