By Roy J.Akers– www.skyviewsports.net
From| Belleair, FL | Pelican Golf Club
Day one is in the books and as Championship Courses go, the sand traps, sand lay-up spots are on the lowdown, and thatmeans lowscores for the2026Annika field.We spoke with several of the players. Here are a few fastfacts ontheleaders and video and print interviews. Here is your D1 lowdown.
Fast Facts
Leaders: Hye-Jin Choi and Minami Katsu
o This is the second time this season that there were two rounds of 61 or better in one round. At
the Ford Championship in March, Lydia Ko shot a 60 and Hyo Joo Kim shot a 61
o Choi tied the lowest 18-hole tournament score first set by Amy Yang in R3 in 2023
▪ Her 61 also sets her career-low 18-hole score on the LPGA Tour
- It is her lowest since the final round of the 2024 Buick LPGA Shanghai, 62
- It is her fourth round of 66 or lower in the past month
▪ She went bogey-free with nine birdies; she was one of 11 players to go bogey-free in R1
o Katsu also tied the 18-hole tournament scoring record
▪ Her 61 ties her lowest career 18-hole score first set during R2 of the 2025 Buick LPGA
Shanghai
▪ Did not miss a fairway in her first round
They Said It
Minami Katsu (T1, -9) on the importance of hitting the fairway to succeed
“On this course, it’s important to hit the fairway. I focused on doing what I needed to do and making sure to get the ball on the fairway first.”
Hye-Jin Choi (T1, -9) on how to keep the score low on this course
“As I told before, I think it’s really important to keep the green. For me every time I come to Florida I feel like I
kind of struggle with the grass, but because of the green it’s kind of make my shot a little difficult, too. So it’s
just really important to decide how you’re going to hit the ball.”
Lindy Duncan (3, -8) on her ace to start her round
“Yeah, the start was incredible. I’ve never been 4-under through three, that’s for sure. And a birdie on the
second hole is always pretty nice because that’s a tough hole. So, I mean, to make that hole-in-one, it was just
wild. I have so many family and friends out watching and they were going crazy. We had to actually try to get
them to calm down a little because the holes are pretty close together out here. They were just cheering me
on all day. The whole day felt pretty amazing.”
Nelly Korda (4, -7) on her first round of action since she took her eight week break
“It feels great. Definitely when you’re playing out and practicing there is not as much I would say pressure, but
it was nice to kind of feel those juices flowing again, especially playing with Hye-Jin who just had a great round
today. And then Auston played really well, too. I feel like all of us were flowing with our round really well. Yeah,
it feels nice. There are times where you can’t do anything about it but you get a little burnt out mentally and
it’s nice to take a break. After like week three I was already ready to get back out here. Feel really good to be
back. But it’s really important to take that break as well.”
