Lydia Ko, first leader of the CME Group Tour Championship

the new zealand My Lydia is at the top of the ranking in LPGA season finale tournament, the CME Group Tour Championshipafter posting a 7-under 65 in the first round in Naples, Florida.

With three birdies on the first nine holes at Tiburon Golf Club and four more birdies on the final stretch, I established a one stroke advantage over Danielle Kang and Pajaree Anannarukarn from Thailand.

In the tournament he takes part as the only Spaniard Charlotte Ciganda. Navarrese started in shared fifty-fourth place after finishing with three shots over par. He made two birdies and two bogeys, but a triple bogey on the par four of the 15th hole dropped him in the classification.

while, I So, he started in the best possible way in pursuit of several goals: the ranking by points for the entire season that determines the Rolex Player of the Year, the biggest financial prize of the entire season, and the Vare Trophy for the player who has the most points in the season.

I began the week as one of four players mathematically eligible for Player of the Year, along with the Korean Minjee Leethe Canadian Brooke Henderson and the thai Atthaya Thitikul. A two-time tour winner in 2022, Ko captured the CME Group Tour Championship in 2014 when he was just 17 years old.

His lone bogey of the day came on the par-5 first hole, which left him reeling. “I think after my bogey I was able to turn a bad trend into a good day. There’s still a lot of golf to play,” Ko said.

For his part, You he continued his stellar comeback after having a spinal tumor removed in June. He produced a bogey-free round and had six birdies, four of them in the final nine holes. “I’ve been working on my short game a lot,” Kang said. “I have a putter change this week. It’s working very well,” he celebrated.

the Scottish Gemma Dryburgh and the South Koreans Hyo Joo Kim they shot a five-under-par 67 to tie for fourth. Henderson, Nelly Korda, Sophia Schubert, Megan Khangthe swedish Anna Nordqvist and the South Koreans Sei Young Kim and Amy Yang they tied for sixth at 68-under.

Classification after the first round (par 72)

1. Lydia Ko (New Zealand) 65
2. Pajaree Anannarukarn (Thailand) 66
2. Danielle Kang (United States) 66
4. Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland) 67
4. Hyo Joo Kim (South Korea) 67
6. Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 68
6. Sophia Schubert (United States) 68
6. Amy Yang (South Korea) 68
6. Megan Khang (United States) 68
6. Sei Young Kim (South Korea) 68
6. Brooke Henderson (Canada) 68
6. Nelly Korda (United States) 68
…
54. Carlota Ciganda (Spain) 75