Bader and Stanford tied for Franklin lead

Beth Bader and Angela Stanford are tied for the lead after Thursday’s first round of the Franklin American Mortgage Championship.

Bader and Stanford each shot rounds of seven-under-par 65 and have a one-stroke lead over Grace Park.

Off to a slow start this season with five missed cuts in eight events, Bader played her best round of the year with five birdies and an eagle. She started her bogey-free round at number 10 with a birdie and added three more on her front nine.

Bader added a birdie at the par-four second and a three-wood to 10 feet led to an eagle at the par-five seventh.

“The conditions were benign for scoring and the greens were soft,” Bader said. “It’s Thursday, so I definitely put myself in position. The fact that it’s Thursday is a whole other story, but it sure helps being seven-under on the first day.”

Stanford earned a share of the lead with eight birdies and a bogey. She made the turn at two-under and fired five birdies coming in, including back-to-back birdies at numbers 17 and 18.

“I’m just happy to make a lot of putts today,” Stanford said. “It was nice to get on a roll today.”

Park signed for a six-under 66 with seven birdies and a bogey. She capped a front-nine 31 with three consecutive birdies but finished her round four straight pars.

“It was nice to finally put a good round together,” Park said. “I’m very happy and looking forward to the weekend.”