Chien leads after opening round in Thailand; Canada’s Henderson tied for third

Brooke Henderson-2

CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Peiyun Chien shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour event in Thailand, the first of three tournaments on the LPGA’s Asian swing.

The 33-year-old Taiwanese player had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on the Siam Country Club Old Course at Chonburi southeast of Bangkok. Chien is winless on the LPGA Tour but has had 10 career top-10 finishes, including two top-five finishes in her last six starts in 2023.

“I wish I could play like this every day because golf is tough,” said Chien, who is 113th in world rankings. “I had my best finish last year and I tried to play safer second shots and just tried to make one putt, not too aggressive.”

Sei Young Kim, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship winner, shot 66 and was in second place. The group tied for third with 67s included Brooke Henderson, Patty Tavatanakit, Jenny Shin and Madelene Sagstrom. Jin Young Ko and Japan’s Erika Hara shot 68 and were in a group four strokes behind Chien.

Defending champion Lilia Vu had a 73.

LPGA tournaments are also scheduled over the next two weeks in Singapore and China.