CHONBURI, Thailand— Peiyun Chien of Taiwan shot an 8-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour event in Thailand, the first of three tournaments on the LPGA’s Asian swing.
The 33-year-old Taiwanese player had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on the Siam Country Club Old Course at Chonburi southeast of Bangkok.
Chien is winless on the LPGA Tour but has had 10 career top-10 finishes, including two top-five finishes in her last six starts in 2023.
“I wish I could play like this every day because golf is tough,” said Chien, who is 113th in world rankings.
“I had my best finish last year and I tried to play safer second shots and just tried to make one putt, not too aggressive.”
Sei Young Kim, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship winner, shot 66 and was in second place.
The group tied for third with 67s included Brooke Henderson, Patty Tavatanakit, Jenny Shin and Madelene Sagstrom. Jin Young Ko and Japan’s Erika Hara shot 68 and were in a group four strokes behind Chien.
Defending champion Lilia Vu had a 73. LPGA tournaments are also scheduled over the next two weeks in Singapore and China.
Nine players sit in a tie for third at -5, including Thailand’s own Patty Tavatanakit and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.
Tavatanakit is coming off a whirlwind week on the Ladies European Tour at the Saudi Ladies International, cruising to a seven-shot victory for her first professional win since the 2021 Chevron Championship.
Vongtaveelap, who finished in second in 2023 as an LPGA Tour rookie, is back at Siam Country Club Old Course this year thanks to a sponsor’s exemption. Injury plagued a majority of her rookie season, but the young gun is now as motivated as ever to potentially be the year’s first Rolex First-Time Winner.
“This is my second year that I’m competing in this tournament. I feel honored to be invited to play in this tournament again. Well, for this year I feel, yeah, excited all the time. Yeah, so just prepare myself.
“And also my knee, yeah, I work out a lot before this week,” said Vontaveelap. “It’s tear on my left knee. On last year I play in LPGA and I take medical leave because of my knee, and now it’s getting better.”
Former Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko and 2022 Honda LPGA Thailand champion Nanna Koerstz Madsen sit in a tie for 11th with six other players at -4.
“Defending champion Lilia Vu, whose victory in 2023 helped catapult her to a four-win season and Rolex Player of the Year honors, opened with a 1-over 73 and tied for 60th.
Vu started strong, with three birdies in her first nine holes, but carded five bogeys afterwards between Nos. 10-17 to end day one nine shots out of the lead.
Tavatanakit notched a win on the Ladies European Tour at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, cruising to a seven-shot victory for her first professional win since the 2021 Chevron Championship.
Vongtaveelap, also a Thailand native, is playing on a sponsor’s exemption after an injury-riddled rookie season.
“This is my second year that I’m competing in this tournament. I feel honored to be invited to play in this tournament again.
“Well, for this year I feel, yeah, excited all the time. Yeah, so just prepare myself. And also my knee, yeah, I work out a lot before this week,” Vontaveelap said.
“It’s tear on my left knee. On last year I play in LPGA and I take medical leave because of my knee, and now it’s getting better.”
Charlie Woods, the son of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods, will compete in a pre-qualifier event as he bids to secure a place in the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic next week in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Approximately 25 players total from the four pre-qualifying sites will advance to a Monday qualifier, from which four will earn spots in the Cognizant Classic held Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National Resort.
Among those in the field for the Cognizant Classic are major winners Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Gary Woodland.
Woods has competed with his father in the past four editions of the PNC Championship — a 36-hole event featuring two-player teams made up of a major champion and a family member — and finished runner-up in 2021.
