The event, at Lake Buena Vista, is limited to winners of LPGA Tour events in the past two years but Kim left the likes of Nelly Korda, winner of seven events last season, in her wake with a blistering 7-under par, bogey-free round.
Another South Korean, Ko Jin-young, and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit were tied for second after shooting 3-under rounds of 69.
Kim said she had used most of the off-season for physical training, taking time away from technical work and that approach seemed to have worked.
“In January I focused on my body, not practising but today really surprised me,” she said.
“My shot was good, putting was good, everything was good, it was cool,” she added, after finishing her round with three birdies on her final five holes.
The year’s first tournament features the LPGA field playing alongside celebrities, athletes and amateurs.
Among the stars playing in the event were former NFL player Marcus Allen, ex-NBA champion Ray Allen and ex-USA national team footballer Landon Donovan.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire was one of 10 players sitting five strokes behind Kim after a 2-under round of 70 ended with a bogey on her final hole — the ninth.
“I took advantage of the par-5s today apart from nine. Working on a few things. Obviously still fine tuning. It’s nice to get a test here to see where the game is at,” she said.
“I drove the ball pretty well today, which I didn’t quite do well enough last year. Made a bit of progress on that. Holed a few nice putts.
“Overall it’s pretty good. Not too rusty. I would say chipping was a little bit rusty today at times. Not bad for the first round of the year.”
© 2025 AFP
