Intro:

There no less than eight players tied for the lead of the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout on Thursday (30 April).

Script:

Eight players were in the clubhouse tied at 4-under par 67 at the top a crowded leaderboard after the morning players finished the first round of the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout on Thursday.

22 players within three shots of the lead were still playing in the afternoon.

World number one Lydia Ko was amongst the leaders until she ran into a particularly rough stretch on the back nine.

Trying to get up and down on the 14th hole, Ko got her pitch shot stuck in the branches of a tree surrounding the green.

Going the extra mile, caddy Jason Hamilton scampered up the tree and tried unsuccessfully to shake the ball loose with one of Ko's clubs.

After six minutes or so of effort a rules official deemed the ball didn't have to be identified as dozens of people had watched the shot land in the tree.

Ko though, went on to have a triple bogey on the hole.

Then, perhaps a bit rattled, she double bogeyed the 15th and bogeyed the 16th.

She parred the 17th and the 18th to finish a disappointing 4-over par for the round.

Alena Sharp, Wei-Ling Hsu, Gerina Piller, Sandra Gal, Angela Stanford, Karine Icher, Jee Young-Lee and Lexi Thompson were all in the clubhouse tied for the lead at 4-under par 67.