In The Woodlands, Texas, Haeran Ryu and Yan Liu emerged as leaders in the first round of the Chevron Championship with impressive 7-under 65 scores, both keeping their rounds free of bogeys. The tournament faced disruption due to a storm approaching The Club at Carlton Woods, causing a suspension in play and leaving 24 competitors unable to complete their rounds.
Defending champion and world number one, Nelly Korda, struggled to a disappointing 77, far from the form she exhibited last year when she clinched the title. During her round, she battled through four consecutive bogeys early on, finding herself 4-over after just six holes. Additional bogeys on the back nine compounded her troubles, placing her 12 shots adrift from the leaders and necessitating an exceptional performance in the following round to clear the cut.
While Korda struggled, Ryu and Liu shone bright. Ryu, hailing from South Korea, expertly birdied five of her initial ten holes, closing with a birdie on her last hole, the ninth. Similarly, Liu from China, ignited her back nine with four birdies within five holes, matching Ryu with a final hole birdie.
Meanwhile, Hya Joo Kim lingered close to the lead but concluded with a bogey on the 18th, finishing one shot off the leaders with a 67. Competitors like Ariya Jutanugarn, Hye-Jin Choi, Carlotta Ciganda, Manon De Roey, and Brooke Matthews joined the fray with scores of 68. Lucy Li was playing strongly at 4-under through 14 when play was halted.
Among those unable to finish was Lexi Thompson, who had taken a step back from full-time tour golf. She stood at 1-over with only the ninth hole to complete. The LPGA newcomer Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden, fresh off a victory in Los Angeles, was also unfinished at 2-over, suffering a setback with a triple-bogey on the 14th.
Ryu, who altered her putting equipment during last week’s event in Los Angeles, felt more at ease on the greens, enabling her to sink complex putts. Liu, aiming for her maiden LPGA Tour win, improved her driving accuracy after struggles the previous week. “This week, I fixed my driver, so it feels very solid,” she noted.
However, it was a tough day for Korda, who began her year with two top-10 finishes but has not quite recaptured last year’s peak form when she secured seven titles and was named the Rolex Player of the Year. After her round, she expressed intentions to return to practice, stating, “I’m going to go and practice and see where it takes me.” Korda is in pursuit of her third career major triumph.