Lee So-mi Ties for 2nd at LPGA Chevron Championship in Houston

By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- A few South Korean players found themselves in early contention at the first major tournament of the 2026 LPGA season in Houston. Lee So-mi fired five-under 67 to begin the Chevron Championship at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston on Thursday (local time) to sit tied for second place. Nelly Korda of the United States, world No. 2, is the sole leader at seven-under. Lee, who earned her maiden LPGA title last year with Im Jin-hee at the Dow Championship, had six birdies and made her lone bogey at the par-3 ninth hole. She missed only one of 13 fairways and hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. "Recently, I've been having problems with my shots. I think the problem is I was trying to hit it so perfectly," Lee said. "And one part I improved was my mental game, and also before the round, I practiced my putting more than usual. I think that helped a lot definitely. I really like the course. I think I will prepare and focus more on my putter and my driver this week." Lee started on the back nine and birdied her first hole, the par-4 ninth. "The first birdie going in gave me a lot of confidence and that helped me a lot," she said. "I'm going to maintain this confidence and the rhythm I played with today throughout this week." Three South Korean players were among 10 players tied for eighth place at three-under: amateur Yang Yun-seo, LPGA sophomore Yoon Ina, and Im, who is coming from a playoff loss at the JM Eagle LA Championship last week. Yang, 18, began her first LPGA major with an eagle on the par-5 first hole, and she added three birdies against two bogeys the rest of the way. Yoon, in search of her first victory, had an adventurous day with six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey. Im traded four birdies with a bogey. Yoon said she fell in love with the Houston course immediately and she enjoyed her first competitive round there. "It's a major course so the conditions are really difficult," she said. "The greens are really fast and the fairways are perfect, and the rough is long. It was a little challenging but overall, course conditions are great. I think the most important thing is the iron shot, I would say. To hit the green is very important to make a good score." The par-72 course played 6,651 yards in the opening round. The champion will take home US$1.35 million.