Lee blasts 64 on scoring day

Jeeno shrugs off wrist scare, stays in hunt

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Jeeno Thitikul plays her shot from the third tee during the first round of the LPGA Tour Championship 2025. AFP

(AFP)

South Korea's Lee So-Mi fired an eight-under-par 64 to seize a two-stroke lead over American Allisen Corpuz after Thursday's opening round of the LPGA Tour Championship.

Lee birdied seven of the first 15 holes and eagled the par-five 17th before a closing bogey at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

“My tee shot and putter were the things I was focusing on and I really practiced them a lot. I think that was the foundation to my success today,” Lee said.

The US$11 million event features 60 players, who qualified during the season chasing the LPGA's biggest prize of $4 million.

Top-ranked defending champion Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand shared third on 67 with Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and South Koreans Kim Sei-Young and Im Jin-Hee.