In a day that was anything but dull, South Korea's Ina Yoon lit up Hazeltine, Minnesota with a blistering nine-under-par 63 in the first round of the Women's PGA Championship. The young gun, aged just 23 and in her second year on the LPGA Tour, tore apart the course with ruthless efficiency, reaping nine birdies without so much as a blemish – not a single bogey to tarnish her perfect scorecard.
Yoon's dominating display has catapulted her into an early lead of two strokes over the entire field. And it's a gap that's left world number one Nelly Korda feeling decidedly under pressure in her bid for an unprecedented third consecutive major championship. The American, who last month secured victories at the Chevron Championship and the US Women's Open, stuttered to a two-under-par 70 – a score that sees her languishing seven shots behind Yoon in joint 19th place.
Korda, though, showed no signs of being fazed by the setback. "Honestly just made one bad swing, which ended up in a double," she admitted with characteristic candour. But despite that costly blip on the 16th hole, the American was quick to highlight the positives from her round: five birdies and plenty to build upon as she looks to wrestle back control of proceedings.
Meanwhile, Australia's Karis Davidson has thrown her hat into the ring with a scintillating seven-under-par 65. And South Korea's A-Lim Kim, along with American Alexa Pano, are locked in an early battle for third place – both pairing up impressive five-under-par scores.
The British and Irish contingent also got off to a solid start, with England's Emily L Woad finishing on two-under-par alongside Korda. Catriona Hull (England), Meghan Rhodes (England), Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland), and Leona Walsh (Ireland) all recorded respectable one-over-par rounds.
The Women's PGA Championship boasts the largest-ever prize purse for women's golf – a staggering $13 million (£9.8 million). And it's clear that Yoon, despite her inexperience at this level, is ready to make a real statement – "It was fun to play out there," she said with a calmness that belies her age. "I'm just trying to think of nothing. Focus on what I need to do." With that focused mindset, who knows how far she might go?