Australian golfer Katherine Hull-Kirk was in a four-way tie for the lead on Friday after the opening round of the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship on Ocean Course in Incheon, west of Seoul.
Hull-Kirk shot a five-under-par 67 which included seven birdies and two bogeys.
She was joined on top of the leaderboard by Swede Anna Nordqvist and South Koreans Amy Yang and Ju Young Pak. Another Swede Caroline Hedwall was one stroke back in outright second in the $US1.9 million ($A1.98 million) event.
"I had a hot putter on the first nine holes," said Hull-Kirk, who began her round on the back nine.
"I had 11 putts the first nine holes. That was really what got my round going."
Defending champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway put herself in early contention for her second straight LPGA victory, the world No.2 shooting a three-under 69.
That put her in a seven-way tie for sixth, two shots off the lead.
At last year's tournament, Pettersen defeated Catriona Matthew in a playoff. She went on to pick up four more US wins and another in Europe, climbing second in the world rankings behind South Korea's Park In-Bee.
Pettersen mixed five birdies with two bogeys on the par-72, 5820-metre course. Three of her birdies came on par-5 holes.
Pettersen was joined at 69 by six others, including former world No.1 Shin Ji-Yai of South Korea and American Michelle Wie.
World No.1 Park played with Pettersen in the opening round, and shot a 70 to stay within striking distance. She started off with three birdies on the back nine but had back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th. She picked up her final birdie on the par-3 17th.
Lexi Thompson, winner last week in Malaysia, shot a 70, along with world No.6 Choi Na-Yeon, a two-time champion at this event.
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