With just one event to go before the illustrious season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, plenty of athletes are trying to play their way into the top 60 this week at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and earn a chance to take home the historic $4 million first-place prize at Tiburon Golf Club. One of those players is 2023 Epson Tour graduate Jiwon Jeon, who came into this week at No. 98 in the Race to the CME Globe rankings.

Needing a victory to have a chance to make it into the CME Group Tour Championship, Jeon put on a winning performance in her opening round. Starting on the back nine, she recorded two birdies over her first five holes and added another on No. 17 before the first of two blemishes came after she bogeyed No. 18. Making the turn at 2-under, Jeon came out firing on the front nine, erasing that mistake with a birdie on No. 1 before stepping up to the tee box on No. 3. With her 5-hybrid (22-degree) in hand, she stepped up to her tee shot and knocked her ball in the hole from 177 yards on the par 3 to record her third career ace on the LPGA Tour.

“I'm using meters, so it was 169 or six meters, I believe,” Jeon said about her ace. “Wind was coming off the left, little into. I had exactly the same yardage the last hole for the second shot, so I was talking to Bruce (Lowe), my caddie, like, ‘Just hit the same shot?’ He was like, ‘Yeah.’ Then I hit it and then I saw the one bounce and went in the hole. It was very cool to see the hole-in-one actually going into the hole.”

Jeon became just the fourth player since 1991 to record three hole-in-ones in a single season and is the first player since Danielle Kang in 2014 to do so. Following her ace, Jeon added a bogey on No. 5 before recording back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 to finish her round tied for the lead.

Alongside her is two-time LPGA Tour winner Charley Hull, who tied the best 18-hole score of her career with her opening-round 64. Hull started her day on the back nine as well and started her round with a birdie on No. 10 followed by two more on Nos. 14 and 15. She added her lone bogey of the day on No. 17 but quickly regained her footing with a birdie on No. 18 before making the turn. She added another birdie to her total on No. 1, and Hull then bogey-free the rest of her round, adding her sixth and seventh birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 to hold the third lead or co-lead of her career and her second this season.

“I felt like I played pretty solid,” Hull said. “Hit it pretty well and putted pretty well. I made a bit of a silly bogey on my 8th hole, but it was the 17th hole of the golf course because I started on the back nine. Just three-whacked it. Apart from that, I didn't really leave much out there. Just one birdie putt. I think it was on my fifth hole on the back nine. But, apart from that, I played pretty well.”

Two players on the bubble, also trying to play their way into the CME Group Tour Championship, are tied for third. Gemma Dryburgh (No. 78) fired off a first-round 65, her best opening round since she carded a 64 on day one of the 2024 Amundi Evian Championship. The Scot recorded seven birdies and two bogeys in her first round of action. Mi Hyang Lee (No. 59) is trying to keep her spot in next week’s season-ending tournament. Lee also recorded seven birdies and two bogeys on her way to her 65. Rolex Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda carded a 4-under 66 on day one at Pelican Golf Club, and defending champion Lilia Vu finished T35 at 1-under with six birdies and five bogeys.

Due to darkness, first-round play was suspended at 5:48 p.m. ET at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Round one will resume on Friday, November 15 at 7:30 a.m. ET, with round two slated to begin on time at 7 a.m. ET.

Jeon, Hull Share One-Shot Lead After Round One at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican after Suspension of Play

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