Mimi Rhodes of England has placed herself in a strong position at the Chevron Championship, while Nelly Korda has taken charge of the tournament. Korda, ranked second in the world, achieved a bogey-free score of 65, her best start to a major in four years, to take a two-stroke lead over Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and Somi Lee of Korea. Farah O'Keefe, an American amateur, is tied for fourth place after scoring 68, and Rhodes, an LPGA rookie, is part of a 10-way tie for eighth after shooting 69.
"I felt prepared," Rhodes said, adding that arriving on Sunday helped her get familiar with the course. Rhodes also drew lessons from her performance at the HSBC Women's World Championship, where she finished sixth.
Her compatriot Charley Hull started with a level-par 72, five shots behind the leaders. Tavatanakit and Lee both had strong starts, with Tavatanakit achieving five birdies and Lee scoring six before dropping a shot. Yan Liu of China is in third place at four-under, followed by a group including Rhodes at three-under. The Chevron Championship, the first women's major of the year, will continue to be broadcast live on Sky Sports.