Ina Yoon Opens Hazeltine With a 63, Karis Davidson Chases, and the KPMG Women's PGA Already Has Some Bite

Image: Birdie Report

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship did not waste any time getting interesting.

The official LPGA leaderboard, checked early on June 26, 2026, showed Ina Yoon leading the championship at 9-under after an opening-round 63 at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Karis Davidson sat alone in second at 7-under, with A Lim Kim and Alexa Pano tied for third at 5-under.

That is the clean scoreboard version.

The more useful version is that one of the summer’s biggest women’s majors immediately produced the exact kind of board you want: a first-time 2026 major leader, a live chasing story, and enough depth behind them that nobody gets to relax.

This piece is based on the official LPGA leaderboard for the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, last updated June 26 at 6:52 a.m. UTC, plus current opening-round coverage published on June 26, 2026. No pretending I was roaming Hazeltine with a credential and a coffee the size of Minnesota.

Yoon Did More Than Just Grab the Lead

Yoon’s 63 matters because it was not some sleepy 68 that happened to be enough.

Current round-one coverage says she matched the championship’s opening-round record at Hazeltine, which is exactly how you want to announce yourself at a major. The official LPGA board then backed up the bigger point: she was not sharing the lead, and she was not getting swallowed by a dozen players at the same number.

She had clear daylight.

At a major.

That changes the feel of the week fast.

Davidson Is the Better Chase Story Than a Generic “Big Name Lurking” Headline

The other strong storyline is Karis Davidson at 7-under.

Current June 26 coverage says Davidson made eight birdies in her opening 65, putting her two shots off the lead and squarely in the tournament instead of in the polite “nice round, see you on the weekend” category.

That is why this board already works.

If the lead had gone to a familiar star and everyone else had drifted around even par, the coverage would write itself but the championship tension would be flatter. Instead, Hazeltine got:

• Yoon at -9
• Davidson at -7
• A Lim Kim and Alexa Pano at -5
• a second wave including Megan Khang, Hye-Jin Choi, and Alexandra Krauter at -4

That is a real board, not a one-name poster.

The Nelly and Minjee Check-In Matters Too

There is still star gravity in this thing, just not in the obvious place yet.

Current opening-round coverage says Nelly Korda finished the day seven shots back after a double bogey on 16, while defending champion Minjee Lee opened with a 1-under 71.

That matters because it keeps the championship from collapsing into one script too early.

Korda is still near enough to matter over three rounds. Lee is still near enough to defend. But neither one is currently controlling the week, which means the names at the top actually get to own the first 24 hours instead of serving as scenery for somebody else’s brand.

Hazeltine Got the Kind of Start It Needed

We already argued yesterday that Hazeltine should not need another excuse to feel big.

Now the leaderboard has done its part too.

A major gets better when:

• the course produces separation
• the top line includes players who have to earn fresh attention
• the favorites are still close enough to keep the pressure real

That is basically what Hazeltine handed us after one round.

If you want the broader women’s-golf context around why this matters, start with our LPGA growth piece, then jump to why Jeeno Thitikul made the season better and why the AIG Women’s Open is finally acting like a proper major.

For the 36-hole picture, read our weekend update on Yoon’s five-shot Hazeltine lead.

Bottom Line

The official LPGA leaderboard checked on June 26, 2026 showed Ina Yoon leading the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at 9-under after an opening 63, with Karis Davidson alone in second at 7-under.

That is a strong first-round headline on its own.

At a major week that was already supposed to feel important, it is also the exact kind of start that gives the weekend a chance to get properly messy.