It’s one of the most special weeks of the year for Allisen Corpuz, as the major champion gets to do something that’s a rarity for most athletes on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s so much fun being back home. I’m sleeping in my own bed tonight,” Corpuz said. “I had family and friends out watching me today. So, it's really special to come back and feel a lot of the local support.”

The LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei is the LPGA Tour event Corpuz grew up watching and attending, and now the native Hawaiian is firmly in the mix after the opening round with hopes of winning her local stop on the Tour’s calendar.

Corpuz fired a 4-under 68 on Wednesday and is just four back of the lead after 18 holes, a lead that is held by Akie Iwai, who is looking to become the first two-time winner of the season.

Corpuz was 1-over through four holes but added a birdie on the par-5 5th before closing with a flurry, going 4-under in her last five holes, one of which saw her chip in for birdie on her final hole of the day.

“I felt like I played pretty solid through the front nine – just couldn't get any putts to drop,” Corpuz said. “I made thre longer ones in a row (on) 14, 15, 16 and got lucky with the chip-in on 18 as well.

“Really excited heading into tomorrow and happy with the round today.”

Corpuz has just two top-10 finishes so far this season and none since March, a month that saw her finish third at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass. Her other top 10 came a month prior, at the Honda LPGA Thailand, where she tied for seventh.

This is an awfully important week for Corpuz as she looks to solidify herself in the top 60 in the Race to CME Globe. The 27-year-Old currently sits at No. 49 in the season-long standings.

This week, in particular, however, is one where Corpuz believes she has an advantage. Unsurprisingly, it was fairly windy through the second half of the opening day on the island, but Corpuz said her local knowledge shone through.

“I think any time you're in the wind, you almost have to give it a little more than you think,” Corpuz said. “You're not just aiming straight at the flag. You're taking it a little left or a little right and kind of letting the ball fall down. So definitely helps to feel a little more comfortable in those conditions.

“I definitely think this is a ball-strikers' course. The paspalum, you get a lot of really good lies out there. Then, growing up in the wind and being more familiar with how the ball reacts in the wind is always an advantage.”

Corpuz, who sits seventh on the LPGA Tour in greens in regulation, is one of the game’s best ball-strikers, so it should come as no surprise that she is nipping at the heels of Iwai’s lead.

Corpuz said these last few months she’s been “figuring things out” with her game and Wednesday at the LOTTE Championship was a solid example of her being able to put together a tidy score.

“It's felt like my game has been coming around, so I felt like I played really solid on the front. I just wasn't really making the putts. Then got on a bit of a run on the back nine,” she said.

“I feel like I've been getting a little better the past few months.”

Corpuz is one of just a handful of athletes in the field who are local to Hawaii and said she loves to see the trend of even more from the Hawaiian golf family join her on the biggest stage in the women’s game sooner rather than later.

And while Corpuz is certainly thrilled at the opportunity to think big picture about the future of golf in her home state, in the present, she still has a job to do.

If, however, she wants to win the LPGA Tour event that’s likely the most meaningful for her, Corpuz has given herself a wonderful chance to do exactly that after day one of the LOTTE Championship.

Hawaii's Allisen Corpuz Contending Early at the LOTTE Championship

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