Brooke Henderson & Others Take Charge at The Standard Portland Classic

PORTLAND, Or. - Brooke Henderson, a back to back winner of the Standard Portland Classic in 2015 and 2016 shot a 65, 7-under to sit in a tie for second as she starts her chase for a third title.

Adela Cernousek is the leader at 8-under after the first round. Henderson is tied with Jeongeun Lee5, Gurleen Kaur, Miranda Wang, and Sung Hyun Park at 7-under.

Henderson birdied the first four holes on her round.

“It was a really awesome start, four birdies in a row,” Henderson said. “I mean, that's an ideal start any week, especially here. I love coming back to this place. I do have a lot of the great memories. A lot of good things happened to me here. Yeah, this was my first win ever out here on Tour and got my membership as well, so it was really just a dream come true within a couple days of each other.”

Nancy Lopez, the LPGA Tour Hall of Famer, and four time champion of the Portland Classic gave some advice to Henderson this week.

“I'm a huge fan of Nancy and I talked to her earlier this week,” Henderson said. “She gave me some great advice, so feel like maybe that gave me a little bit of a boost in the right direction.”

Amateur Alison Takamiya fired a 70, 2-under on Thursday in the first round of Standard Portland Classic.

Takamiya had four birdies in the first round after shooting a 67 (5-under) to take second place in the Monday Qualifier to advance to her second Portland Classic in 2025.

Takamiya, who just graduated from George Fox University in the spring, made three birdies in a row on holes 5,6, and 7.

“It was a pretty good day out there today, I was giving myself chances which is the main thing, trying to make birdies, some fell some didn’t that’s just golf,” Takamiya said. “Trying to stay as patient as I could and have a lot of fun out there.

“I try not to pay too much attention to the score or try not to look at the leaderboard. From today, it was a good easing into it round, I was nervous at the beginning, but got into a rhythm and once I settled down I set myself up more. The goal is just do that from the beginning tomorrow.”

Takamiya is from Hawaii, and her parents have been in town helping her with her practice rounds and the Monday Qualifier. Her parents were there to take it all in along with MaryJo McCloskey, the head coach of the women’s golf team at George Fox.

“It meant the world to me to have my parents there since we’re figuring out this next chapter of my life together,” Takamiya said. “I really would not be where I am without them and I just feel so grateful they could be here. As for coach MJ and her husband Rick - they have taken immense care of me since I’ve moved up to Oregon and made a life for myself up here. I owe a lot of my game to their special leadership and their support also means very much to me.”

Caroline Inglis shot a 70, 2-under which included three birdies. Inglis is from Eugene, Oregon and played at the University of Oregon after a great junior golf career. She is a member at Columbia Edgewater CC.

Kiara Romero teed off in the afternoon wave and birdied her first three holes before a bogey, birdie, bogey over the next three holes to sit at 2-under through six holes.

“Yeah, everything was rolling pretty smoothly. I was a little bit nervous on the first tee but still played pretty good,” Romero said. “Everything was rolling out there and it was a lot of fun to have my sister on the bag as well.”

Romero would make three birdies on the second nine holes, to shoot a 67, 5-under, three shots off the lead.

“I think I was just super focused out there and was playing really well, but I had like a few mistakes. Birdied the first three holes and then bogeyed and then birdied and then bogey,” Romero said. “My first par did happen on the seventh hole, but wasn't a bad thing. I was still playing really well so it was a lot of fun.”

Romero will be a junior at the University of Oregon this fall and had a Duck contingent following her around the course for support.

“Yeah, that just made everything so much sweeter. Just a lot of support,” Romero said. “A lot of the clapping for every shot. Just keeps you in a good mood out there. Just helps with everything.”