PAJU, South Korea -- Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa, Hannah Green of Australia, and Jenny Shin of South Korea each shot 8-under 64s to top the leaderboard after the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship on Thursday.
The field is loaded with eight of the LPGA Tour's top 10 players. It also includes 17 of the 18 winners this season on the tour. About the only key player missing is American Kelly Korda, who withdrew with a neck injury.
Haeran Ryu of South Korea was one shot off the pace with a 65. Six other golfers were tied at 66 at Seowon Valley Country Club.
The first-round field was extremely tight with 11 players at 5 under including one of the tournament favorites, Lydia Ko of New Zealand.