The LPGA Qualifying Series’ Qualifying Stage was perfectly set for round one, with warm temperatures and clear skies in Venice, Fla., and a plethora of players found red numbers. The field of 197 athletes is a mixture of LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour (LET), ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT), and amateur players, all of whom are striving for a top-45 finish to advance to the Final Qualifying Stage of LPGA Q-Series come Sunday evening.

Mirabel Ting felt the pressure that a week of this importance carries but started her morning off strong with a birdie on her first hole, the par-4 10th on the Panther Course at Plantation Golf and Country Club. Ting then settled into her round, card a string of pars before carding back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17 to move to 3-under.

“(I was) definitely a little nervous stepping up on the 10th tee this morning, but I was able to manage it,” Ting said. “Hitting my irons and my putts really, really well today, but not quite expecting my driver to be that wild on the golf course today.”

The former Florida State University Seminole grabbed three birdies in her first four holes after making the turn. The seven-time collegiate winner ultimately signed for a bogey-free 7-under 65 to find herself sitting alone at the top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of round one.

“My sister's on the bag this week, so normally I'm not that calm, but she kept me calm all day today, so that really helped me a lot,” said Ting.

Megan Osland the standard for herself early this morning, posting a 66-under 66 to begin the tournament. The 32-year-old veteran, who is familiar with the Panther Course, stuck to her game plan during round one, walking to the fourth tee box at 2-under par after finding birdies on holes two and three. Osland headed to her back nine after a bogey-free 3-under front side.

“I think my game plan was to play fairly conservatively,” Osland explained. “A lot of these greens are really small, so playing to the middle of the green and then firing at pins when they're available.”

The Canadian continued her rhythm with a birdie on the par-3 11th hole before putting a small dent on her scorecard with a bogey on hole 14. Osland bounced right back, however, making three consecutive birdies to find herself sitting in a tie for second after round one.

“More of the same, sticking to the game plan on a different course tomorrow, but still pretty conservative, taking advantage of opportunities when they come, and just sticking with my process, and that's pretty much it,” Osland said when asked about her mindset for the rest of the week.

In the afternoon wave, Polly Mack made a statement on the Bobcat Course, firing a 6-under 66. The German started shaky with a bogey on her second hole, the par-4 11th. But the LPGA Tour veteran quickly got her focus back, making back-to-back birdies on holes 12 and 13 to round out her front nine 2-under.

“I know my strength in my game,” said Mack. “I know I can hit it a mile, and that always helps having short approach shots in, especially on a course like this. Having high short shots in, leaving myself a lot of birdie chances. I know inside of me there's a lot of good golf left, and I'm not down from the year, but I'm more willing to work and want to get that back.”

Mack continued her birdie streak, dropping three consecutive birdies on holes two through four. The University of Alabama alum finished the day sitting in a tie for second heading into round two.

The WAPT’s Annie Kim sits in solo fourth place at 5-under, while eight athletes are just one shot back at 4-under, rounding out the top five. The second round will begin on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. local time. Follow along with live scoring here.

Mirabel Ting Sits in Solo First after Round One of the LPGA Q-Series Qualifying Stage

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