Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien has seized early management of the 12 months’s first ladies’s main in Texas, carding a five-under 67 to seize the first-round clubhouse lead on the Chevron Championship and steal the highlight from the game’s massive names.
Chien, the world’s 189th-ranked participant, combined six birdies with a single bogey on the Jack Nicklaus-designed The Membership at Carlton Woods close to Houston on Thursday to guide People Marina Alex, who shot 68, and Angel Yin one other stroke again on 69.
“I noticed the pin sheet final night time, and I can not sleep,” stated Chien, who got here to the most important off her greatest results of the season, a tie for fourth eventually week’s LOTTE Championship. “It feels so laborious. I believe we did very effectively right this moment.”
With the Chevron transferring to Carlton Woods after calling the Mission Hills Nation Membership in Rancho Mirage, California house for 51 years, the 9 previous champions within the area, together with world No.1 Lydia Ko and 2022 winner Jennifer Kupcho had no house area benefit.
Ko had a curler coaster spherical together with 4 birdies and three bogeys which left the New Zealander on one-under 71 alongside Canada’s twice main winner Brook Henderson.
However Chien actually discovered the transfer to Texas to her liking. Enjoying the again 9 first, she made the flip at two-under earlier than making her solely bogey of the day on the first.
However that may be the 32-year-old’s solely stumble as she recovered in type to card 4 birdies over her remaining six holes and high the leaderboard because the afternoon wave headed out, together with Australia’s star flip Minjee Lee.
The 2 early Australian finishers, Hannah Inexperienced and Grace Kim, had a battle, each ending up with three-over 75s.
