Even gale-force winds could not slow down Anita Uwadia during her first round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. The 26-year-old's 5-under 67 is the best opening round she has put together this season, beating her previous best by 3-shots and giving her a one-shot lead over Amari Avery and Yue Zhang heading into round two.

Uwadia, who teed off in the more challenging afternoon wave, battled against the full force of the wind that swept through Battle Creek Country Club during the first round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. Despite these adverse conditions, the England native remained undeterred, delivering a bogey-free front nine with three birdies. The back nine started with a slight stumble, marked by her only bogey of the day on No. 11. Yet, Uwadia quickly regained momentum, sinking three more birdies in her last six holes to secure the solo lead after 18 holes of play.

"To be honest, I didn't hit it good today. I just made every putt that I had to make and, you know, took advantage," explained Uwadia. "To be fair, I've been going through swing changes through the season, which is really tough. Even yesterday, I remember playing the pro-am and I played so bad. So, it's one of those things where when you're going through so many changes, you're just trying to stay present and you're just trying to have faith that it's going to happen for you."

Zhang and Avery both carded a 4-under 68 in their first rounds, but they finished their days in very different ways.

Zhang, starting her tournament on the back nine, strategically navigated the gusty conditions with 15 straight pars. It was on the last two holes that she made her move, with a birdie on her 17th hole propelling her to 2-under and into the top 5. The Epson Tour sophomore then seized the opportunity on a reachable par 5, making an eagle on her final hole of the day to move into a tie for second with a bogey-free round.

On the other hand, Avery had a bogey-free round of her own through 17 holes, including a 5-under stretch from holes 9-15 that moved her into first place. A misplaced tee shot put the Epson Tour rookie, who is making her professional debut this week, in a tough position coming in. The fairway bunker eliminated any chance for her to reach the green, with a difficult green still to come. A misjudged wedge into the wind left Avery with a difficult chip, which came up short, resulting in a two-putt and a double bogey to close out her day. Despite the difficult ending to the round, Avery is focusing on the positives and still getting her footing as a professional.

"I think I'm more nervous about the traveling part of being a pro. I feel like I always have first-tee jitters. I mean, that just comes with any tournament, but it hasn't really set in yet that I'm a pro," said Avery with a smile. "I mean everything was kind of flowing. I feel like I started off hitting it really well and I hit it pretty well all the way to the last hole. I didn't play the back nine yesterday. I just got in like the other day, so I was kind of playing a little bit slower, just trying to feel it out."

ABOUT THE LEADER

Anita Uwadia leads the way after a 5-under 67 in difficult first round conditions

The 5-under round ties her lowest round of the season
- She shot 5-under in the final round of the 2024 Copper Rock Championship
Uwadia has two career top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour, both coming during her 2022 season
- She finished No. 45 in the Race for the Card that season, her best career finish
The England native has made four cuts in seven starts this season
- Her best finish is T16 at the Copper Rock Championship
Uwadia is projected to move into the Race for the Card top 10 with a win this week

THINGS TO KNOW

Daniela Iacobelli and Gabby Lemieux both carded a 2-under 70 to finish inside the top 5 in round one

Daniela Iacobelli

The 2-under round included five birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey
Iacobelli has 33 top-10 finishes and four victories on the Epson Tour since her rookie season in 2010
- Her most recent victory came at the 2022 Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic
She has one career top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour at the 2018 LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakaeli
The Florida native won the 2007 NCAA DII Individual National Championship while representing Florida Institute of Technology

Gabby Lemieux

Lemieux is a tournament invite for the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
The Idaho native has three career top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour
- Her most recent was a runner-up finish at the 2022 Four Winds Invitational
The 27-year-old made her first professional cut at the 2018 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Is the first female Native American golfer to play on the Epson and LPGA Tour

QUICK QUOTES

Daniela Iacobelli (-2, T4) on the positive vibes she feels in Michigan:

“Summertime in Northern Michigan is the best. Maybe it's because I grew up here. Maybe it's because my blood's here. I don't know, but it's like the second I get on bent grass and bent greens it’s great. All the people, they get so excited for us to come back. I can't walk through the clubhouse without someone stopping me, and it's just become very homey.”

Gabby Lemieux (-2, T4) on her mentality playing this week as a tournament invite:

“It's almost like you get you only get one chance and why not just go and try and make the best of it? Obviously with golf, you always kind of have to play conservative at some points, but for the most part, you just try and go out there and make as much birdies as you can. I think that's kind of where I was at today.”

Charlotte Heath (-1, T8) on being in the top-10 after her first career round on the Epson Tour:

“I mean the conditions were super tough. My kind of plan was just fairways and greens, and you can't really go wrong from there. Like level par today was a good score. I didn’t really have any expectations coming into this week, I mean, I've not played my best. I changed my golf coach this semester, so we've had a lot of changes going on. But you know, my game is starting to feel where it should be, and I guess today kind of solidified that.”

Uwadia Battles Through the Wind to Grab the Lead at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship

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