PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The opening round of the Florida Women’s Open & Senior Open teed off at 7:30 AM at PGA National Resort & Spa, marking a successful start to the championship. Players tackled both The Champion and The Fazio courses, each offering a distinct and challenging test of golf.
Open Division
Jessica Porvasnik surged to the top of the leaderboard in the opening round, firing a 4-under 68 on The Champion Course to take a two-shot lead. Her steady play included six birdies across 18 holes, keeping her clear of the chasing pack. “I played pretty steady out there today,” Porvasnik said. “I hit lots of greens, made a few birdies, and didn’t make very many mistakes.” A familiar face at the Florida Women’s Open, Porvasnik captured the title in 2019 during just the tournament’s third year.
Joining Porvasnik is amateur Nancy Cox of Ponte Vedra Beach. A steady round with five birdies, two of which came on the 17th and 18th holes put her in a tie for the lead as we head to the second round. When Cox was asked about switching courses to the Fazio Course for the second round she stated “I’m just going to stick to my process. I feel like I’m on a pretty good trajectory right now with how I’m playing. They’re similar courses in a way, again some hard holes on Fazio. But, I’m just going to see if I can keep it going and make some more birdies.”
With two sitting tied for first place, Cynthia Tu rounded out the top three after a 3-under 69, just one shot off the lead. With a stacked field behind the top three, the second round is sure to bring all of the excitement, especially with a cut line looming.
Senior Division
Christa Johnson picked up right where she left off. The defending champion came out firing, carding a five-under-par 31 on her opening nine, highlighted by an eagle on the sixth hole. But she didn’t slow down there. The Arizona native kept the pedal down, finishing with a lights-out 9-under 63 to take the solo lead after Round One. It was déjà vu for Johnson, whose hot start echoed her 2024 run, when a 6-under front nine set the tone for her eventual win.
Johnson stated “I started out with three birdies. Then I missed the green on number three and then I had a short chip and I chipped that in…I made some birdies on the back side and then I had a 25-footer on the 18th hole, just trying to get it close and it goes in the hole. It was just one of those days. I had, just a fun day.”.
Gail Graham also had herself quite the day. Despite three bogeys on the back nine, she still managed to put together a 5-under 67 to hop into solo second place. Rounding out the top three for the day was reigning U.S. Senior Women’s Open Champion, Leta Lindley, who finished with a 3-under 69.
What’s Next
The field is divided between The Champion course and The Fazio Course for the first two rounds, with players switching courses for Round Two. Following the completion of 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 60 scores and ties. Each division will have a separate cut line. The Open Division will cut to the low 42 and ties, while the Senior Division will cut to the low 18 and ties.
Notable
- Christa Johnson had the low round of the day across both courses and both divisions, firing off a bogey-free 63 (-9).
- The 11th hole on The Champion course played the most difficult while the 18th hole played the most difficult on The Fazio course.
- Only two players shot below 70 on The Champion course, while four shot below 70 on The Fazio course.
- The scoring average on The Fazio course was 78.52 compared to 77.60 on The Champion course.
- Christa Johnson, Sarah Posey, and Linda Jeffery all carded eagles during their first round.
