England’s Mimi Rose has thrown herself into contention for the Chevron Championship as Nelly Korda won the first women’s major of the year.
World No. 2 Korda shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 in Houston, her best start to a major tournament in four years, and a two-length lead over Thailand’s Pati Thavatanakit and South Korea’s Somi Lee.
American amateur Farrah O’Keefe finished tied for fourth with a 68 in her first round, and Rose, an LPGA newcomer, shot a 69 in her tournament debut to finish tied for eighth in 10 ways.
“I think I’m 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.
“It took away some of that emotion because if you’re confident in yourself and you’re focused on your shot and you’re not worried about the cut line, you tend to play well in the first round.
“That’s what I came here for. You know, it’s the first major of the year. We’ve got four more games, so just relax and play some golf without too much pressure.”
Charlie Hull sits on the leaderboard after the first round of the Chevron Championship
Rose’s compatriot Charlie Hull, ranked fourth in the world, started his bid for his first major title with a level par 72.
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.
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.
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 women’s major of the 2026 season live on Sky Sports all week long. 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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