Nelly Korda seizes early lead at Chevron Championship as Maguire struggles

World number two Nelly Korda has stormed to a two-shot lead after the opening round of the Chevron Championship, the first major of the women's golf season.

Korda carded a seven-under-par 65 on Thursday, April 24, 2026, at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas, while Ireland's Leona Maguire endured a difficult start, finishing 11 shots adrift.

Korda's blistering start

Korda's round was a masterclass in consistent scoring. She began her day on the back nine, immediately pocketing two birdies over holes 10-18, according to RTE.ie

Her momentum continued onto the front nine, where she sank three consecutive birdies on the first, second, and third holes. Korda then added a pair of birdies on the seventh and eighth holes to solidify her impressive lead.

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Trailing Korda by two shots are Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit and South Korea's Somi Lee, both tied for second at five under.

Tavatanakit delivered a bogey-free performance, starting strong with two birdies among her first three holes before adding further birdies on the eighth, 15th, and 17th. Lee's round featured six birdies, though she suffered a bogey on her final hole of the day, the ninth.

Maguire faces uphill battle

In stark contrast to Korda's dominant display, Leona Maguire struggled significantly in her opening round. The Cavan native finished with a four-over 76, leaving her tied for 106th position heading into Friday's second round.

Maguire showed flashes of brilliance early on, birdying the third and fourth holes, and later adding another birdie on the 10th.

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However, her round unraveled in the closing stretch, as she bogeyed five of her last seven holes.

Chasing pack and defending champion

A group of four golfers sits three shots back at four under, including amateur Farah O'Keefe, who recorded five birdies despite a bogey on the ninth hole.

O'Keefe is tied with France's Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Japan's Yuri Yoshida, and China's Yan Liu. Further down the leaderboard, ten players are tied for eighth at three under, a group that includes Ryann O'Toole, Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen, and Sweden's Linnea Strom and Maja Stark. Notably, amateur Yunseo Yang of South Korea eagled her very first hole of the championship.

Defending champion Mao Saigo of Japan also had a challenging start, posting a one-over 73, indicating the demanding nature of the Memorial Park Golf Course for many contenders on day one.

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Sources: www.rte.ie

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