On the links | Thursday’s professional golf results

CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP

DORAL, FLA.

J.B. Holmes never liked the old Blue Monster at Doral because he thought it was too easy for a World Golf Championship. He said this with a straight face Thursday after a 10-under 62 that tied the tournament record at the Cadillac Championship, gave him a four-shot lead and left the rest of this world-class field to wonder just how he managed. “I was able to hit the shots where I envisioned and hit good shots, and today the putter was on,” Holmes said. “Put that combination together, you do everything pretty good, you’re going to shoot a good score.”

HSBC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS

SINGAPORE

South Korea’s Inbee Park and Taiwan’s Yani Tseng each shot 6-under 66 to top the leaderboard after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s HSBC Women’s Champions. The second-ranked Park birdied the par-5 18th on Sentosa’s Serapong Course to tie Tseng. Coming off a tie for second last week in the LPGA Thailand, Tseng won the last of her 15 tour titles in 2012. American Angela Stanford, the 2012 winner, was a stroke back. Top-ranked Lydia Ko was at 68 along with Karrie Webb, Jenny Shin, Mo Martin and Mariajo Uribe. The 17-year-old Ko is coming off victories in the Women’s Australian Open and New Zealand Women’s Open.

PUERTO RICO OPEN

RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO

PGA Tour rookie Mark Hubbard closed with a birdie in windy conditions for a one-stroke lead in the Puerto Rico Open. Hubbard opened with a 4-under 68 at Trump International Golf Club-Puerto Rico. He birdied Nos. 4, 5 and 6, dropped a stroke on the par-3 eighth and finished with a birdie on the par-4 ninth. Hubbard made news last month when he proposed to Meaghan McCurley on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach during the first round in the AT&T Pebble National Pro-Am.

AFRICA OPEN

EAST LONDON, SOUTH AFRICA

Ireland’s Kevin Phelan and Englan’s Matt Ford each shot 5-under 67 to share the first-round lead in the Africa Open. Phelan tied for second last week in the Joburg Open. England’s Richard Bland, David Howell and John Parry were a stroke back along with South Africa’s Neil Schietekat and Spain’s Eduardo de la Riva.

Associated Press