Choi Hye-jin opens Portland Classic in tie for second

Choi Hye-jin made a strong start at the LPGA Tour's Standard Portland Classic, which carries a $2 million purse.

Playing Friday at Columbia Edgewater Country Club (par 72) in Portland, Oregon, Choi carded seven birdies against a single bogey to post a 6-under-par 66 in the first round.

The round left her in a tie for second, one stroke behind sole leader Mariel Galdiano of the United States, who fired a 7-under 65.

Choi, who has yet to win on the LPGA Tour since her 2022 debut, has played 17 events this season, making the cut 13 times and finishing in the top 10 four times.

Choi opened with a birdie on the par-5 10th, the hole where her round began, then reeled off four consecutive birdies from the par-3 13th through the par-3 16th. A bogey on the par-4 18th was her only blemish, but she bounced back with a birdie on the par-4 first and picked up another stroke on the par-4 sixth. She missed the fairway and green three times each and needed 28 putts for the round.

"I didn't feel like my ball-striking was all that sharp, but putting on fast greens for the first time in a while really helped — my feel on the greens was good," Choi said. "Overall, I think things are coming together nicely." She added that accuracy off the tee is essential on the course. "Distance is an advantage here, but keeping it in the fairway is what matters. There are holes where you simply can't attack the green with your second shot if you miss the fairway, so you have to be precise," she said.

World No. 3 Ryu Hae-ran, who won back-to-back majors at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship in June and July, shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 with five birdies to share ninth place alongside Hwang Yu-min, Jeon Ji-won and Joo Su-bin.