Lee So-mi made a strong start at the Chevron Championship, the first major of the LPGA Tour season with a total purse of $9 million, carding a 5-under-par opening round on Thursday.
Lee shot a 5-under 67 with six birdies and one bogey in the first round held at Memorial Park Golf Course (par 72) in Houston, Texas, on Thursday (Korea time). Tied for second with Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand, Lee trailed sole leader Nelly Korda of the United States by two strokes at 7-under.
Lee, who moved to the U.S. in 2024 after winning five titles on the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour, claimed her first LPGA Tour victory last June at the Dow Championship, a two-player team event, partnering with Lim Jin-hee. This season, she has competed in seven events with two top-10 finishes. In majors, she tied for eighth at last year's Women's PGA Championship for a top-10 finish. She kicked off her bid for the title with a steady performance from the opening day.
Lee got off to a pleasant start with a birdie on her first hole, the par-4 10th. She fired consecutive birdies on the par-4 13th and the par-5 14th, trimming three strokes in the front nine alone. On the back nine, she picked up birdies on all three par-5 holes — the 1st, 3rd and 8th. A lone bogey on the closing par-3 9th proved the only blemish of her round.
"I've had some issues with my shots recently, and I think the problem was that I was trying to hit too perfectly," Lee said after the round. "While working on my mental game, I practiced putting more than usual before the round, which definitely helped a lot. Making the birdie putt on the first hole gave me a lot of confidence." She added, "I'll focus more on putting and driving as I prepare for the rest of the rounds."
Yoon Ina, who posted her best finish since her LPGA Tour debut with fourth place at last week's LA Championship, shot 3-under with six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey to tie for eighth. Amateur Yang Yoon-seo (Incheon Girls' High School-affiliated Broadcasting and Correspondence High School) and Lim Jin-hee also share eighth place. Yang, who earned her spot in the event by winning the Asia-Pacific Women's Amateur Championship in February, put on an impressive display with three birdies and an eagle.
World No. 3 Kim Hyo-joo was tied for 18th at 2-under, while Choi Hye-jin was tied for 25th at 1-under. Hwang Yu-min and Ryu Hae-ran were tied for 38th at even par. Kim Sei-young, who finished runner-up in a playoff at the LA Championship, marked a tied-for-59th at 1-over.
