On the first day of the Chevron Championship, England’s Charlie Hull got off to a slow start and was off pace, while Mimi Rose finished two strokes behind the early clubhouse lead.
Hull shot a level par 72 in the first women’s major of 2026 and was tied for 26th place, five strokes behind, after the opening round.
Fellow British woman Rose started with a 3-under 69, finishing in last place behind Thailand’s Patti Thavatanakit and South Korea’s Somi Lee, who both had rounds of 5-under 67 to set the tone.
Tavatanakit was bogey-free with five birdies in his first 18 holes, while Lee made six birdies and dropped a shot on the final hole of the day.
“I think I felt like I was ready,” Rose said. “It was probably an advantage for me to arrive here on Sunday so I could see the track a little more and stay on the field a little more.
“It made it a little bit easier to figure out my direction. So, I prepared as best as I could and, yes, I felt comfortable going into this round. So, yeah, it was important to just commit and go into the round with confidence. That’s what I thought.”
Rose added that she learned lessons from her impressive performance at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, where she finished tied for 10th at six under par.
“Mentally it feels a lot different because I was invited there and there were no cuts so I can play more freely,” she explained.
“I took those feelings out because if you’re confident in yourself and you’re committed to your shots and you’re not worried about the cut line, you tend to play well in the first round. So that’s what I came here for. You know, the first major of the year. There’s four more games to go. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself and just play some relaxed golf.”
China’s Yang Liu finished the round of 68 at 4 under, following the early lead pair, and Rose tied the group at 3 under.
Rose continued to perform well, making two birdies in the first three holes, but was pulled back with a bogey on the fourth hole. She collected three more birdies and made the turn at No. 32, but a bogey on No. 11 was the only blemish on the back nine.
Hull finished the front nine “35”, including a birdie on No. 3, unscathed, but although he stumbled with three bogeys after the turn, he improved his situation with two birdies on either side of his drop shot on the final three holes.
Hull, who finished runner-up in 2016, continues to pursue his first major, returning to the tournament after missing out on a spot in Texas this time last year.
Mao Saigo defeated four other plays to seal the 2025 playoff victory and enter this week as the defending champion.
Who will win the Chevron Championship? Watch the opening match of the Women’s Major of the 2026 season live on Sky Sports throughout the next week. Live coverage of the second round begins on Friday at 4pm on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event. Stream Chevron Championship without a contract.
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