Patty Tavatanakit carded a bogey-free, 5-under 67 on Thursday to share second after the first round of The Chevron Championship at Memorial Park Golf Course. She is currently two shots behind 18-hole leader Nelly Korda.

The Thai native sits in second alongside Somi Lee, who also shot 67 on Thursday. Korda posted a 7-under 65 to lead the field by two shots heading into Friday.

The 26-year-old delivered five birdies and made no bogeys, turning in 33 before adding two more birdies on the back to post at 5-under after the first round.

She opened with birdies on the par-5 first and par-5 third holes to reach 2-under, then added another on the par-5 eighth to make the turn at 3-under. After parring holes 10 through 14, she birdied the par-3 15th and the par-4 17th holes in rapid succession to get to 5-under before closing with a par on 18.

Tavatanakit acknowledged that her iron play was not exactly where she wanted it, but said her focus never wavered despite difficult conditions.

"Iron play was decent. I would say it's still not like where I want it to be," said Tavatanakit. "At the same time, I'm not out there to chase perfection. My job is to get the ball inside the hole as fast as I can, and I feel like I did that really well."

The strength of her short game gave her room for mistakes, as she knew she could get up and down around the undulating greens at Memorial Park. Tavatanakit said that buffer is something on which she consistently leans.

"I'm pretty confident with my short game, I would say, so it does open up a lot of room to not be perfect with everything else," she said. "Just kind of trying to get it in front and then get close to the hole as I can and then always looking forward for the next shot."

The Chevron Championship holds particular significance for Tavatanakit. She won the event in 2021 under its previous name, the ANA Inspiration, claiming her only major championship with a 72-hole total of 18-under in Rancho Mirage, Calif. She followed that with a tie for fourth in 2022, the first year the event was rebranded as The Chevron Championship and the last year it was held at Mission Hills Country Club.

A 2019 Epson Tour graduate and two-time LPGA Tour winner, Tavatanakit has made three cuts in five starts in 2026, including a tie for fifth last week at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, her only top-10 of the season. She finished T27 at the Aramco Championship two events prior.

Asked whether that resilience was natural or an attribute she has cultivated over time, Tavatanakit pointed to experience.

"I think I definitely learned that the hard way," said the major champion. "I feel like over the years of having to scramble a round of golf together, it definitely helped me stay that way. I feel like that is the definition of golf a little bit, is like you're not going always have it your way. How you can kind of scramble around and put a round together matters more than how you actually are striping it or how your game is."

Three rounds remain at Memorial Park, and the 2021 Chevron champion trails Korda by two shots, well within striking distance at a tournament she has won before.

Patty Tavatanakit Posts Bogey-Free 67, Sits T2 after the First Round of The Chevron Championship

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