American Austin Ernst has a one-shot lead after the opening round of the LPGA event in Florida.
Ernst fired a six-under-par round to lead Mi Hyang Lee with a host of players a shot further back on four under, including rookie Sei Young Kim.
South Korean Kim has the early upper hand in the race for a Race to the CME Globe $US1 million ($A1.4 million) bonus.
Lydia Ko, Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis also could win that bonus by capturing the season finale; Ko shot a three-under 69, Park a 71 and Lewis a 72.
Karrie Webb is the best-placed Australian at two under in a tie for 13th.
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The Race to the CME Globe is a season-long competition in which players accumulate points in every official LPGA tournament.
