Feng takes first-round lead at rainy U.S. Women's Open

BEDMINSTER, N.J.  — Her homeland is China, but Shanshan Feng is a big fan of the United States, particularly the food.

"I would say I love America; I mean, I love American food," the 27-year-old Feng said Thursday after firing a 6-under-par 66 to take the lead after the rain-delayed first round of the U.S. Women's Open at Trump National Golf Club.

"I love steak, maybe buffalo wings. I'm more about meat. I think America is great. You like it? Everybody likes it. If you don't like the food, how can you survive here?"

Feng, 27, is doing a good job of surviving off the course, but she absolutely thrived Thursday on the course. She played her opening round in hot, windless conditions without a bogey and with six birdies —  stringing three birdies in a row twice — while breaking 70 for the first time in 33 career Women's Open rounds.

Feng led by a stroke over Amy Yang, the runner-up in the 2015 Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club, and by two over the current and former No. 1-ranked players – So Yeon Ryu and Lydia Ko. American Cristie Kerr, the 2007 Women's Open champion, was among six players at 69.

Play was suspended for more than two hours after dangerous weather approached the rolling farmland of North Jersey. The contestants resumed competition at 6:34 p.m., but play was called at 8:33 p.m. because of darkness. The 39 players who did not finish their rounds will return to the course Friday at 6:45 a.m. The second round will start at 7 a.m. with tee times delayed 15 minutes.

Among the players who didn't finish, sixth-year LPGA Tour veteran Carlotta Ciganda of Spain was 4-under with one hole left to play.

Feng, who won a bronze medal in last year's Olympic golf competition, played with the two other medalists —  Inbee Park (gold) and Ko (silver). She put herself in great position with her approach shots. Her second three-birdie barrage came on putts of 3 feet on 17, 8 feet on 18 and 6 feet on 1.

The fact that Feng, who likes to wear clothing on the golf course adorned with cow prints, played so well  belies the fact that she spent last weekend in her native China playing in a tournament organized by her sponsor. She said the course helped her because of its narrow fairways.

"I had to hit my drivers and my irons like really, really straight," said Feng, who is ranked sixth in the world. "I think that was one of the keys why I actually played well today because I left myself birdie chances on most of the holes."

Feng has a major —  the 2012 Wegmans LPGA Championship —  among her seven career LPGA victories. Her latest win came in May at the Volvik Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Yang, 27, of South Korea, was at even par for her round after nine holes but picked up five birdies on the back  nine —  the last one, a tap-in, coming at No. 18 that enabled her to hold second place by herself.

"I started the round a little slow," she said. "I wasn't that comfortable over the ball. … I had a lot of long putts and it was hard to make a birdie. But I started to get some good momentum going on the back nine and my putting worked really well."

Ryu, 27, the 2011 Women's Open champion, was 1-under through 13 holes before getting hot with three birdies on her last five. She did not have a bogey on her card.

The 20-year-old Ko, winner of 12 tournaments in her first three years on the LPGA Tour but none this year, was in a momentary tie for the lead at 6-under after birdies at Nos. 11, 13, 15, 18, 1 and 4, but she bogeyed the fifth hole to fall back and closed with a bogey at No. 9.