Ina Yoon Turns Hazeltine Into History While Nelly Korda Stays Alive at KPMG Women’s PGA

Major championships are not supposed to be introduced with fireworks this loud.

They are supposed to build. They are supposed to tighten slowly. They are supposed to spend Thursday sorting out the calm from the anxious, the ready from the hopeful, and the contenders from the names that simply looked good on the tee sheet.

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Ina Yoon skipped all of that at Hazeltine National.

The 23-year-old from South Korea opened the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a bogey-free, 9-under 63, taking the first-round lead and tying the single-round scoring record in championship history. It was the kind of round that does not just show up on a leaderboard. It changes the entire temperature of a major championship.

And this was not some casual Thursday birdie-fest on a defenseless golf course. This was Hazeltine, a big, proud, major championship venue in Chaska, Minnesota, with enough water, bunkering, angles and intimidating tee shots to make even elite players think twice. Yoon simply made it look comfortable.

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That is usually the first sign of something special.

She made nine birdies, kept the card spotless and finished two shots clear of Karis Davidson, who opened with a terrific 7-under round of her own. Behind them, A Lim Kim and Alexa Pano sat at 5 under, with Megan Khang, Hye-Jin Choi and Aline Krauter among the next wave at 4 under.

That is the scoreboard snapshot. The bigger picture is this: Yoon did not just post a number. She posted a challenge.

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Major Championship Moment

Ina Yoon’s 63 Was Not Just Low. It Was Complete.

63

Tied the KPMG Women’s PGA single-round scoring record

9

Birdies in a bogey-free opening round

0

Bogeys on a major venue with trouble everywhere

The number was historic, but the way she got there mattered just as much. Yoon paired sharp iron play with confident putting and never gave Hazeltine a chance to pull her backward.

Hazeltine Gave Players Chances, But Only If They Earned Them

The temptation after seeing a 63 is to assume the golf course was soft, easy or waiting to be picked apart. That is not the whole story here.

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Hazeltine did give players chances. The weather was cooperative. The greens were receptive enough. Good iron shots were rewarded, and a player who controlled trajectory, distance and speed on the greens could absolutely go low.

Yoon checked every one of those boxes.

She later pointed to her iron play and putting as the core of the round, saying she did not think she missed a short putt all day. That tracks perfectly with what the scorecard showed. You do not shoot 63 in a major because one part of the game behaves. You shoot 63 because the whole machine is humming.

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As a PGA Professional, that is what jumps out. This was not a fluky round built on one miracle shot. It was complete golf. Fairways enough. Quality approaches. Clean putting. No panic. No blemishes.

That is how elite players separate.

And at a place like Hazeltine, separation matters because the course has teeth waiting everywhere. The 16th hole made that clear.

Nelly Korda’s 70 Was Better Than It Looks, But One Swing Was Expensive

Nelly Korda came to Minnesota chasing something massive.

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After winning the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this season, Korda arrived at Hazeltine trying to win the first three majors of the year. That kind of storyline can swallow a player before she even gets to the first tee. Korda did not let that happen.

For most of the day, she looked exactly like Nelly Korda.

She was 4 under through 15 holes and had placed herself right where she needed to be. Then came the par-4 16th, a hard left-to-right dogleg with danger waiting for a tee shot that turns too far. Korda overcooked the driver into the water, then compounded the mistake with a three-putt, turning what had been a clean opening statement into a 2-under 70.

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That is the cruelty of major championship golf.

For 17 holes, you can be in full control. For one hole, the course can reach up and grab you by the collar.

Still, Korda did not sound broken by it afterward, and she should not have. A 70 leaves her seven behind Yoon, which is a real gap, but not an impossible one. Korda faced the same seven-shot deficit after Round 1 of the U.S. Women’s Open just a few weeks ago and went on to win.

That matters.

Not because history automatically repeats itself, but because Korda now has fresh evidence that Thursday does not have to define Sunday.

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The Chase Pack Is Dangerous

Yoon owns the lead. Davidson owns the closest chase. But the names underneath them are not decoration.

A Lim Kim has major championship power. Alexa Pano has the creativity and fearlessness to turn a hot round into a weekend story. Megan Khang is one of the most dangerous American players when she gets comfortable early. Hye-Jin Choi and Aline Krauter are right there at 4 under, and the 3-under group includes players with serious pedigree, including Jeeno Thitikul and Brooke Henderson.

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That is what makes Friday so fascinating.

Yoon can play excellent golf and still feel pressure by lunch. Davidson can back up her 65 and suddenly turn this into a two-player sprint. Korda can shoot 66 and be right back in the middle of the broadcast. Thitikul, Henderson, Khang or Kim can move quickly if Hazeltine plays even slightly softer.

This is why Round 1 leads in majors are both powerful and fragile.

Yoon has earned every bit of the attention. She also has 54 holes left at a course that does not allow players to exhale for very long.

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KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Round 1 Leaderboard Snapshot

Hazeltine National Golf Club | Chaska, Minnesota

1. Ina Yoon
Record-tying, bogey-free statement round

-9

2. Karis Davidson
Kept pressure on the leader with a brilliant 65

-7

T3. A Lim Kim, Alexa Pano
Both within striking distance after opening 67s

-5

Chase Pack
Megan Khang, Hye-Jin Choi and Aline Krauter among those at 4 under

-4

Bottom line: Yoon owns the day, but the first page of the board is loaded with players capable of turning Friday into a serious chase.

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Brooke Henderson Had a Day Worth Remembering Too

Brooke Henderson opened with a 69, which put her in a strong position after one round, but her day carried a much bigger family note.

Henderson revealed after the round that her sister and longtime caddie, Brittany, and Brittany’s husband, Zach, welcomed a baby girl named Sahalee. The name is a clear nod to Sahalee Country Club, where Brooke won the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with Brittany on the bag.

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That is the kind of detail that gives a major championship its human layer.

The leaderboard is the bones of the story. Moments like that are the heartbeat.

Amanda Doherty Adds the First-Round Spark

There was also a hole-in-one on Thursday, with Amanda Doherty acing the 161-yard par-3 17th hole at Hazeltine. It got her back to even par for the round and gave the championship one of those early-week highlights that makes the crowd noise sound different.

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Again, that is Hazeltine.

There are holes where a player can make something special happen. There are also holes where a player can make one loose swing and pay dearly. Doherty found the magic side of that equation. Korda found the punishing side on 16.

Yoon, for one full day, avoided the punishing side altogether.

Friday Is Now About Proof

Thursday gave us the headline.

Friday will tell us how real it is.

Yoon has the lead, the historic number and the cleanest card in the field. But now comes the harder part. It is one thing to shoot 63 when the day is opening up in front of you. It is another to sleep on it, return to a major championship venue and play with the eyes of the tournament pointed directly at you.

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That is not a criticism. That is the assignment.

Korda has an assignment too. She does not need to chase all seven shots at once. She needs to clean up the one big mistake, keep the ball in front of her and force the leaders to know she is still coming.

The same goes for Davidson, Kim, Pano, Khang, Choi, Thitikul, Henderson and the rest of the pack. Round 1 did not settle this championship. It sharpened it.

Ina Yoon made history Thursday at Hazeltine.

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Now the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship gets to find out whether that 63 was the opening act or the beginning of something much bigger.

Friday Watch List

The Questions That Will Shape Round 2

Can Ina Yoon back up history?

Shooting 63 is one thing. Sleeping on a major championship lead and returning with the same freedom is another.

Does Nelly Korda erase the mistake?

Korda was 4 under through 15 before one costly tee shot at 16. Her ball-striking was better than her final score.

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Who from the chase pack makes the first real move?

Karis Davidson, A Lim Kim, Alexa Pano, Megan Khang, Jeeno Thitikul and Brooke Henderson are all close enough to change the tone quickly.

Will Hazeltine firm up?

If the course gets firmer, Thursday’s low numbers could suddenly look even more valuable.

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.

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Related: The Monday Mowdown: U.S. Open Grit Gives Way To Travelers Speed And Hazeltine Power

Related: Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee and a Massive Stage Await at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Related: Hazeltine’s Green Complexes Could Decide The Next Women’s Major

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.