Australia's Hannah Green has fired eight birdies on her way to a six-under-par 65 and a share of second place at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Arkansas.
Green sits in a group of nine players, one shot behind overnight leader Hae Ran Ryu of South Korea.
Ryu made five birdies in a six-hole stretch to rush out to the first-round lead, finishing with a seven-under 64 at Pinnacle Country Club.
A rookie on the LPGA Tour, 22-year-old Ryu has five top-10 finishes this season but is still searching for her first career victory.
She stayed bogey-free on Friday to kick off the 54-hole event.
After shooting two under on the front nine, Ryu's big break started with a birdie at the par-4 12th hole. She proceeded to string together four more at numbers 14-17.
Green got her round under way with two birdies in her first three holes, before a bogey on the par-4 fourth. The 26-year-old from Perth finished her outward nine with three successive birdies.
A bogey on the 13th was followed by another three straight birdies as she came home in 65.
Karis Davidson was the next best-placed Australian in a tie for 26th, recovering from an opening-hole bogey to card a three-under 68.
Su Oh (69) and Grace Kim (69) also finished under par, while Stephanie Kyriacou was undone by four bogeys - including a double on the par-4 fourth - on her way to an even 71.
Sarah Kemp carded a 72, while a nightmare stretch of four successive bogeys on the back nine left Sarah Jane Smith two over at 73.
Former major champion Lexi Thompson - seeking her first tour win since June 2019 - was seven under through 16 holes but carded her lone bogey at her penultimate hole, the par-4 eighth.
Defending champion Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand opened with a three-under 68.
- with Reuters
