AP - Australian teenager Minjee Lee has made a strong start to the LPGA tournament in South Korea to sit two shots from the lead after the first round.
In gusty conditions on the Ocean Course at the Sky72 Golf and Resort club in Incheon on Thursday, Lee carded a 69 to sit tied for second behind South Korea's Kang Hae-Ji.
Kang, still seeking her first career LPGA victory, collected six birdies along with a bogey in her round of five-under 67.
Perth-born Lee, 18, only turned professional last month after a brilliant amateur career.
She is in a group of five players - defending champion Amy Yang, fellow South Koreans Lee Il-Hee and Lee Mi-Rim and 2012 runner-up Catriona Matthew of Scotland.
Kang, who made her tour debut in 2009, was one of the first to tee off on Thursday in the $US2 million ($A2.16 million) tournament - the LPGA tour's lone South Korean stop each year.
She said there was virtually no wind when she was getting ready on the range but the conditions changed dramatically once she reached the first tee.
"On a windy day like this, I felt I'd be better off playing safe and aiming for the centre of the greens than being aggressive," she said.
"I made some great putts today to save pars on the front nine. Then I made a 40-foot putt for birdie on the 12th, and it gave me a great boost."
Kang, who has just two top-10s in 23 starts this year, said a win was there for the taking.
"It usually gets windy out here but the course isn't overly long," she said. "I can reach some of the par-5 greens in two. If I can hit good wedge shots, then I can post good scores."
World No.2 Park In-Bee was at one-under 71 after a roller-coaster ride that included four birdies and three bogeys.
With the top-ranked Stacy Lewis not playing this week, a victory for Park in Incheon would see her reclaim the No.1 spot she lost earlier this year after a 59-week reign.
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