Los Angeles (AFP) - Chien Peiyun of Taiwan used a late birdie burst to take the early first-round lead on Thursday at the LPGA Chevron Championship, the first women's golf major of the year.
Chien, ranked 189th in the world, overshadowed a host of big names with a sparkling five-under par 67 on the Jack Nicklaus Signature course at Carlton Woods in suburban Houston -- new home of the tournament that had been played in Rancho Mirage, California, for 51 years.
Chien teed off on the 10th hole and after birdies at 17 and 18 gave a stroke back with her lone bogey of the day at the first.
She bounced back with birdies at the fourth, fifth and sixth, adding one more birdie at the eighth for a one-stroke clubhouse lead over American Marina Alex with afternoon starters still on the course.
Angel Yin was a further stroke back on 69.
Chien said a "really good wedge shot" launched her late burst at the fourth.
"I hit a six-foot putt and then the next hole I made a 30-foot birdie.The next hole I hit a nine-iron to the green, hit it to, like, six feet and made another good putt."
It wasn't quite what she was expecting when she was doing her final prep work for the opening round.
"I saw the pin sheet last night, and I can't sleep," said Chien, who arrived in Texas off a tie for fourth at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
"It feels so hard," she said."I think we did very well today."
Among the nine past champions in the field, world number one Lydia Ko of New Zealand had four birdies and three bogeys in a one-under par 71.
Two-time major winners Brooke Henderson of Canada and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand were also in the clubhouse at one-under.
Ko said she drove the ball well.
"I think from the fairway onwards it wasn't my sharpest, but to start off at under par I think is a good way to start this week," she said.
Reigning champion Jennifer Kupcho and world number two Nelly Korda were both one-under midway through their rounds, both among the later starters who had to wait out an afternoon weather delay of about an hour.
