Four players tied for lead midway through first round of ANA Inspiration

Four players tied for lead midway through first round of ANA Inspiration

Sep 10, 2020; Rancho Mirage, California, USA; Brooke M. Henderson hits her tee shot on the 12th hole during the 2020 ANA Inspiration golf tournament at Mission Hills Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) - Four players were tied for the early lead at the ANA Inspiration as the second women's golf major of the year got underway in Rancho Mirage, California on Thursday.

Brooke Henderson, Danielle Kang, Yu Liu and Kelly Tan shared the lead after carding rounds of four-under-par 68 at the Mission Hills Country Club's Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

The tournament is usually played in April but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is being held without fans in attendance.

The conditions are less than ideal at Rancho Mirage, with temperatures expected to soar above 100°F (37.8°C) during the tournament.

Nearby wildfires also impacted the air quality earlier in the week but the skies were clearer on Wednesday and Thursday.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis)