After one round at the 2026 Blue Bay LPGA, Youmin Hwang, Weiwei Zhang and Mary Liu are tied for the lead at -6.
Hwang, a winner on the LPGA Tour last year as a non-member, relatively struggled with her ball striking, but excelled on the difficult green complexes at Blue Bay.
Hwang started on the back nine, and had five birdies in six holes around the turn. The young Korean star made birdies on 15, 16, 17, one and two, and added a final one on the eighth hole. For the day, Hwang hit just 7/14 fairways and 13.18 greens, but had only 25 putts.
Mary Liu, a Chinese native, who struggled to get into contention in 2025, also had a strong showing on the greens with only 25 putts. She also hit 13 fairways on her way to a -6 round. Liu’s finish was strong, with birdies on four of the last six holes.
Weiwei Zhang, another Chinese player, is the third in a tie for the lead despite a pretty rocky start. Zhang was even par on the first five holes, but made a couple birdies right before the turn. She really took off at the end, finishing with an eagle and birdie on the final two holes.
Zhang, who was a representative on the Chinese team at the 2025 International Crown, had only 22 putts, helping her after missing half of the greens in regulation.
Chasing the leaders are a group that includes Auston Kim, who is in excellent form early this season, and Mi Hyang Lee along with Chinese native Zining An.
