Ryu, Liu share Chevron Championship lead as defending champion Korda struggles

Ryu Hae-ran of South Korea and Liu Yan of China each shot bogey-free 7-under 65 to share the lead during the suspended first round of the Chevron Championship as top-ranked Nelly Korda struggled to a 77 on Thursday in her title defense.

The round was suspended late as a storm approached The Club at Carlton Woods, with 24 players unable to finish.

Korda won the event last year for the last of her five straight Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour victories and had hoped to rediscover that dominant form in the season's first major. Instead, she made bogeys on four straight holes and was 4-over par after six holes.

Korda added two more bogeys on the back nine and was 12 shots behind the leaders, needing a big second round to make the cut.

Ryu and Liu had no such problems. The South Korean birdied five of her first 10 holes to move in front and made her seventh birdie on her closing ninth hole. Liu got going on her back nine with four birdies in a five-hole stretch. She, too, made a closing birdie to tie Ryu.

Kim Hyo-joo of South Korea was a shot behind the two leaders heading to her final hole, but took bogey on the 18th to finish with a 67.

Ryu, with two career LPGA Tour victories, changed putters midway through last week's tournament in Los Angeles, liked how it felt and continued with it in Texas. She said she was more comfortable on the greens. She often opened the face with her former putter, Ryu explained, and was happy to make several tricky putts in her round. "It's really good for me," she said.

Liu, seeking her first LPGA Tour win, was not happy with her performance off the tee in Los Angeles last week and worked to correct it. "This week, I fixed my driver, so it feels very solid," she said.

Little was solid for Korda, who began her season with a pair of top 10 finishes, but has not been as crisp as a year ago when she won seven events and was the Rolex Player of the Year.

When Korda walked off the 18th green following her round, she told a small group of media that she was headed back to work. "I'm going to go and practice and see where it takes me," she said.