Leona Maguire recovered from a sticky start in the opening round of the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea where a two-over par 70 has her eight shots off the lead.
The Cavan woman dropped three shots in her opening four holes in Haenam, but by the turn she had steadied the ship with four birdies.
The 30-year-old birdied three of the four par-5s at Pine Beach Golf Links, where there was less drama on her back nine. A dropped shot at the last saw her settle for 70 and a tie for 42nd place.
Sei Young Kim leads the way after matching the tournament record with blistering 10-under par 62. The Korean carded eight birdies and an eagle to match the mark of 62 posted by Ashleigh Buhai in 2023.
After waiting out a one-hour weather delay, Kim bookended a brilliant round with birdies at the first and 18th holes.
"Yes, so this is near my hometown, so I have lots of family, my cousins, a lot of fans," Kim said. "I had a great start from the first hole and all the way through 18th, getting a lot of support. The course is absolutely wonderful. The layout and the conditions of the course were great."
Despite the sizzling start, the former Rolex Player of the Year is only one stroke ahead of compatriot Hyo Joo Kim. She was also bogey-free, recording seven birdies and a 130-yard hole-out for eagle at the par-four seventh hole.
Lindy Duncan is two shots off the pace in solo third place after an eight-under 64.
