England's Lottie Woad opened with a four-under-par 68 at the LPGA Tour FM Championship in Boston on Thursday to lie four shots off the lead.
South Korea's Sei Young Kim set the early pace at TPC Boston with an eight-under-par 64, holding a one-stroke lead over Denmark's Emily Kristine Pedersen and Japan's Miyu Yamashita.
Woad, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour since turning professional last year, picked up all four of her birdies on the front nine to reach the turn in 32 before parring all nine remaining holes.
"I generally played a bit better on the front nine," Woad said. "I hit pretty much every fairway. The rough is pretty thick out there, so you need to hit the fairways."
"Hit some pretty close shots on some holes and then did well on the par-5s getting on greens, so just kind of had tap-ins on the front nine," she added.
"Just a couple tee shots on the back nine that missed the fairway kind of made them par holes rather than birdie holes, so just try and clean up that tomorrow."
The English player is one of 12 golfers selected for European captain Anna Nordqvist's squad heading to the Netherlands for the Solheim Cup from September 11 to 13. The biennial match-play competition pits the top female professionals from Europe against their counterparts from the United States.
Leaderboard contenders at TPC Boston
Kim, who started her opening round on the 10th hole, claimed six birdies and an eagle on the par-five seventh hole during her round of 64.
Pedersen and Yamashita finished tied for second place at seven-under-par, while South Korea's Somi Lee shot a six-under 66 to make it two Koreans inside the top four. Woad ended the opening day in an eight-way tie for fifth position.
Solheim Cup team-mate Charley Hull shot a one-under 71, while world number one Nelly Korda, who will spearhead captain Angela Stanford's United States team, finished with a level-par 72.
European captain Nordqvist opened her swansong tournament on tour at two-over par after unexpectedly announcing her retirement from professional golf on Wednesday.
Nordqvist, a three-time major champion, will step away from competitive play following this week's event before guiding Team Europe in defense of the Solheim Cup trophy.
Alexander fires course record at Irish Open
On day one of the Ladies European Tour's rain-affected KPMG Women's Irish Open, South Africa's Casandra Alexander made a storming start by firing a course-record nine-under 63 at The K Club.
After Italy's Alessandra Fanali set the early benchmark with a five-under 67 on the Palmer South Course, Alexander finished four shots lower following four birdies on the front nine and five more on the back nine.
England's Lily May Humphreys, Jana Melichova of the Czech Republic, and the Isle of Man's Ana Dawson ended the day tied for second place alongside Fanali on five-under.
Ireland's Leona Maguire opened her week at her home event with a round of one-under 71 after mixing three birdies with two bogeys.
The Ladies European Tour is the leading professional golf tour for women in Europe, with The K Club in County Kildare previously hosting the 2006 Ryder Cup.
Both the FM Championship and the Women's Irish Open represent the final competitive tournaments on their respective tours before the Solheim Cup. Live coverage of the action continues throughout the week on Sky Sports, with Friday's second round from Ireland airing from 2:00 pm UK time on Sky Sports+.
