Three tied atop the leaderboard after round one of the Dow Championship at 3-under 67
By Jeremy Friedman
MIDLAND, Mich. – Three teams are atop the leaderboard after round one of the Dow Championship at Midland Country Club with 3-under par 67 in the Thursday foursomes format: Camille Boyd/Michelle Zhang, Gemma Dryburgh/Nicole Broch Estrup and Gurleen Kaur/Hira Naveed.
For Dryburgh and Broch Estrup, they were the first team to post a 3-under par 67 in the early morning wave. This marks the second consecutive year that Dryburgh has held or shared the opening round lead at the Dow Championship. She was paired with Cassie Porter in 2025, where they turned in an opening-round 4-under 66.
The two moms enjoyed their opening round walking the fairways talking about their new families and their growing sons.
“I think most of what we talked about was our sons today,” said Dryburgh, who also is celebrating her 33rd birthday today. “Obviously Max is a little older than Leo, but we’re kind of going through the same things, which is pretty cool.”
Kaur and Naveed – affectionately titled “Team Frenemies,” also sit atop the leaderboard at 3-under par after the opening day. The two close friends who are representing their nationalities from South Asia – India and Pakistan – respectively.
“It’s really cool to represent South Asia as a whole,” said Naveed during Wednesday’s pre-tournament press conference. “Obviously Gurleen’s Indian, I’m Pakistani. There is a history of conflict and rivalry, but our goal is to bring peace and harmony. Our friendship is an example of that.”
Kaur, who is sponsored by Dow and is a member of ‘Team Dow,’ is excited to be co-leading a tournament that she represents here at the Dow Championship.
“I’m so grateful for Dow, it’s definitely become like a family,” said Kaur, who is in her third season as a part of ‘Team Dow.’ “They [Dow] continue to elevate our game to the next level. I have seen that from the beginning. The LPGA is growing and Dow has been one of the first people to see that.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda and her teammate Oliva Cowan, better known as team ‘Legally Blonde,’ currently stand 3 shots back after shooting even par 70. Korda is coming off her fourth major championship title – the U.S. Women’s Open – last week at Riviera Country Club.
World Golf Hall of Fame member Juli Inkster is returning to LPGA Tour competition this week, teaming up with her longtime friend and mentee Angel Yin, who was Inkster’s Captain’s Pick at the 2017 U.S. Solheim Cup. The duo currently stands T13 at 1-under par for the championship.
Friday’s second round will feature fourballs – or better ball – format. Tee times will start at 7:15 am ET, with gates opening at 6:30 a.m. ET.
