LPGA Tour Rookie Jennifer Johnson fired a career-low, 7-under 65 to take sole possession of the first-round lead at the Navistar LPGA Classic on Thursday. Johnson shot a back-nine 30 to take a one stroke lead over 16-year-old Lexi Thompson.

Johnson was even par through eight holes but a birdie on the ninth helped propel her to the impressive back-nine score when the afternoon groups had to fight very windy conditions. She had four birdies over her final nine holes but the highlight was an eagle on the par-4 15th when she holed out from 150 yards with a 6-iron.

“It was pretty windy,” Johnson said. “I was trying hit like a 150‑yard shot. I hit my 6‑iron like I was trying to land it on the front. I thought it wasn't going to be enough. I was like yelling at it to get up, and then it just kind of curved right in the hole and I was happy.”

A Heart of Gold
Johnson is playing for a lot more than herself at this week’s Navistar LPGA Classic. The LPGA Tour rookie has committed to donating half of this week’s winning to this year’s tournament beneficiary, the Wounded Warrior Project.

Johnson is well on her way to earning the Wounded Warrior Project a significantly large paycheck after a blistering 7-under-par opening round. Looking to improve on a career best tie for 12th finish at this year’s CN Canadian Women’s Open, Johnson currently holds a one-stroke lead.

Johnson, who began the season with Category 20 status, has moved her way up the list via some good play and the reshuffle. Johnson has made six of nine cuts this year with a season-best tie for 12th at the CN Canadian Women's Open. She currently sits No. 70 on the LPGA money list.

On Tuesday, Johnson played a practice round with two Wounded Warriors - Dan Nevins and Joe Caley - both who suffered brain injuries in Iraq. Nevins continues to play golf despite the loss of both his legs. Both Wounded Warriors were on hand during Friday’s first round to watch Johnson take the lead for the first time during her LPGA career.

“That's some extra motivation this week,” Johnson said of her pledge to donate half of her earnings. “Hopefully I can keep it up and give a bunch of money to those guys.”

Inaugural round
Capital Hill’s Senator Course re-opened for play on Sunday morning for the first time since it was closed for renovations on June 1. So who got the chance to hit the first shot on the revamped course? None other than Lexi Thompson, who sits in second after shooting a first-round 66.

Thompson said that she drove with her father to Alabama on Saturday and arrived at the golf course around 8 a.m. on Sunday morning to get a first look at the changes that were made, including the resurfacing of all 18 greens and a redesign of the par-5 fifth hole.

“This course is amazing right now,” Thompson said. “It's in perfect condition for us. I was the first to hit a shot out here, so there was no divots or ball marks.”

Thompson, who hit all 18 greens in regulation during the first round, had seven birdies on Thursday while playing Capital Hill’s Senator Course and the lone blip on her scorecard was a bogey on the par-3 13th hole. Having hit 12 of 14 fairways to go along with her 18 greens in regulation, Thompson was asked if this round ranks as one of her best.

“It's definitely up there,” said Thompson, who won the first stage of LPGA Q School this summer by 10 strokes. “I mean, like I said, I just focused on one shot and thought about tempo. Just do that for the next three days and hopefully it'll all go well. But, you know, it was just a great day. I had a lot of fun. I had a great group with Belen and Jane. Just an overall good day.”

This week marks Thompson’s eighth start on the LPGA this season. Her best finish in those starts this season was a T19 at the Avnet LPGA Classic in Mobile, Ala., which is also played on one of the courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

In the hunt
There are a number of players trailing not far behind Johnson, including Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng and No. 2 Suzann Pettersen who are among a group of eight players at 4-under-par.

Tseng played in the morning and was one of the players who was able to take advantage of better scoring conditions. But Tseng was not completely pleased with her round after she finished with two straight bogeys, three-putting each of her final two holes.

“I was very disappointed,” Tseng said. “I miss a lot of putts. I had three 3‑putts today. I hit lots of greens, but I just couldn't make that many putts and hitting the second shot. But hopefully next three days I can have more putts.”

Justin Bieber watch out!
There is a new Youtube sensation taking over the world wide web and it’s none other than the LPGA’s own Tiffany Joh. While Joh boasts an impressive professional golf resume and is tied for fifth at the Navistar LPGA Classic after shooting a first-round 68 on Thursday, some might be surprised to know she is quite the talented musician. Joh’s first video, “She Beats It” went viral when it was premiered during last week’s Golf Channel telecast of the NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G.

Joh, who resides in San Diego, California, released her second video at this week’s Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Monaco RV titled “Grip It”. Since being released on Tuesday, the video has gone viral with 1,329 views on Youtube. The video features several LPGA stars showcasing their dance moves including Beth Bader, Jenny Suh, Alison Walshe, Jeehaee Lee and Meredith Duncan.

To view Joh’s latest video “Grip It” please visit, http://www.youtube.com/user/cupofjoh#p/search/0/JOUHWRHii1k.

Birdies for a cause
This year's Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Monaco RV is going above and beyond to help raise funds for this year's beneficiary, the Wounded Warrior Project. The 152-yard par-3 16th has been designated as the "military hole". Navistar will donate $100 for every birdie made during this year's tournament to the Wounded Warrior Project. Over the past four years, the hole has averaged 83 birdies. In addition, a member of the military will be on the green to tend the flag during tournament play.

During Thursday’s first round the 16th hole notched 15 birdies which raised $1500 for the Wounded Warrior Project.