Teenage Henderson opens with a 68 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic

GALLOWAY, N.J. - The debut of 17-year-old Brooke Henderson at the ShopRite LPGA Classic was a roller-coaster ride of birdies and bogeys, and ended with her within only 2 shots of Morgan Pressel's first-round lead.

Playing on a sponsor's exemption, Henderson carded eight birdies, five bogeys and five pars in her round of 68 that left her in a group of nine players at that number.

Henderson, who started on the back nine, was 2-over for her first six holes before six birdies on her next eight.

"It was a bit of a tough start," she said. "There were a lot of ups and downs, but overall it was a great day, and I was happy to see a couple of long putts go in."

The two longest putts were a 35-footer on No. 1 at the Bay Course of the Stockton Seaview Golf Club and Spa, and a 33-footer at the fifth.

"It was tough, but I know this course is a super, super difficult golf course," she said. "I knew that I just needed to keep it going and try and make good shots and see what can happen out here."

Brittany Henderson, Brooke's caddie and older sister, said her sister showed her maturity by staying focused despite the bogeys.

"I think it's trying to keep it together on those tough holes and then make up for it on the other holes," she said. "She's pretty calm. I don't have to do much. You know you're going to have some bogeys out there just with the wind and the fescue. She knows that."

There wasn't very much for defending champion Stacy Lewis to smile about until her very last shot of the day - a chip-in out of the rough for eagle at the par-5 ninth, her last hole – that enabled her to salvage a 72.

"It was pretty terrible up until that last hole," she said. "Just hit the ball bad, putted bad. Just didn't really get anything going. [The chip-in] makes a bad round be a little bit better, which is what you need to do. You need to make your bad rounds not as bad."

With conditions near ideal, 39 players broke par in the opening round and another 16 matched Seaview's par-71. The breeze appeared to be a bit stronger in the morning than in the afternoon.

"The wind was completely opposite of what we normally have on this golf course," Lewis said. "So holes that normally play easy were playing pretty hard. So you have to go in there with a different mind-set."