Midway through the first round of the ANA Inspiration, American Lexi Thompson and Korean countrywomen Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim are tied atop the leaderboard at -3. Thompson birdied her final two holes to push into a tie for the lead, while Ko and Kim both birdied their next-to-last hole (No. 17 for Ko and No. 8 for Kim). Thompson and Kim are both already major champions, with Thompson winning this event in 2014 and Kim capturing the 2014 Evian Championship thanks in part to a first-round 61, the lowest round at a major by any golfer, male or female.

Seven players are tied for second at -2: major champions Lydia Ko and Cristie Kerr; 2019 rookie Lauren Stephenson; American Solheim Cup players Jessica Korda and Lizette Salas; four-time LPGA Tour winner Amy Yang; and American Jane Park, who is looking for her first victory in her 13th year on the LPGA Tour. Defending champion Pernilla Lindberg opened with a 1-over 73.

Rolex Rankings No. 5 Jin Young Ko (69)

Ko’s first-round 69 is her career-best round at the ANA Inspiration and her first-ever round in the 60s on the Dinah Shore Course; her previous best was a 70 in the first round in 2017
She hit 11 of 14 greens and 16 of 18 fairways, with 31 putts
Ko is in her second season on the LPGA Tour; she won the 2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in her Membership debut and won the 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship as a non-Member
This is Ko’s sixth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she won the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, finished second at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and tied for third at the HSBC Women’s World Championship
She is competing in her fourth ANA Inspiration; her best finish is T64 in 2018
Ko won the 2018 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, an award she clinched with four events remaining in the season

Rolex Rankings No. 9 Lexi Thompson (69)

Thompson’s first-round 69 is tied for her second-lowest round of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she shot 67 twice and 69 three times, most recently in the final round of last week’s Kia Classic
She hit seven of 14 greens and 11 of 18 fairways, with 26 putts
Thompson is in her eighth season on the LPGA Tour; she has 10 victories, including a major win at the 2014 ANA Inspiration
This is Thompson’s fifth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is T10 at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions
She is competing in her 10th ANA Inspiration; she won the tournament in 2014, finished second in a playoff in 2017, has two other top-10 finishes and has never missed the cut
Thompson won the 2017 Vare Trophy for the season’s low scoring average and also captured that year’s Race to the CME Globe
She has won an event in each of the past six LPGA Tour seasons, the longest active streak on Tour
She represented the USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she finished T19, and is a three-time member of the USA Solheim Cup and UL International Crown Teams

Rolex Rankings No. 39 Hyo Joo Kim (69)

Kim’s first-round 69 is tied for her career-best round at the ANA Inspiration; she previously shot 69 in the third round in 2016 and the fourth round in 2015
She hit 10 of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens, with 26 putts
Kim is in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour; she has three victories, including a major win at the 2014 Evian Championship as a non-Member
Her first-round 61 at the 2014 Evian Championship is the lowest round at a major by any golfer, male or female
This is Kim’s fifth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is T5 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship
She is competing in her fifth ANA Inspiration; her best finish is T11 in her debut in 2015
Kim finished second in the 2015 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race

Thompson Shares Lead Midway Through Opening Round of the ANA Inspiration

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