The early signs are good for Leona Maguire as her first competitive appearance of 2026 sees her tied for sixth and just two shots off the lead after a five-under-par 67 in the opening round of the LPGA Thailand.
The two-time LPGA Tour winner began her tournament on the 10th tee on the Old Course at Siam Country Club in Bangkok, and despite carding a par on the par-5 opener, found herself two-under through three after birdieing the par-4 11th and par-3 12th holes.
Another birdie on the par-4 15th got her to -3, before a bogey on 16 – her only dropped shot of the day – put the brakes on a little. She got back on the birdie train by taking care of the par-5 ninth, and produced a carbon copy on the par-5 first hole to move to -4.
The front side of the course proved to be a little less dramatic for the Cavan woman, who recorded seven straight pars but bookended the nine with a birdie on the par-4 closing hole to reach the clubhouse at -5, earning her a 10-way share of fifth place alongside the likes of Lydia Ko, Hannah Green, Allisen Corpuz, and world number one, Jeeno Thitikul.
Maguire missed just one of the 14 fairways and found the green in regulation on 14 of the 18 holes, signalling that her tee-to-green game is in good shape.
Korean duo Somi Lee and Hye-Jin Choi are tied for third at -6, but the early pace was set by Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Thailand’s own, Chanettee Wannasaen who shot matching seven-under 65s to share the first round lead.
Hataoka is a seven-time LPGA Tour winner with nine top-10 finishes in major championships, while 21-year-old Wannasaen has won twice on the LPGA circuit having established herself playing in Thailand and on the LET Access Series prior to gaining her LPGA playing rights for 2023.
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