Ko hits form to take first-round lead in Daly City

Lydia Ko is tied for the lead after the first round of the LPGA Mediheal Championships in Daly City, California.

The Kiwi golfer shot an opening round of 68 on the par-72 Lake Merced Golf Club course, to hold a joint lead with In-Kyung Kim from South Korea, Caroline Hedwall from Sweden and America’s Jessica Korda, although some players are still to complete their first round.

Ko got off to a shaky start, beginning her round on the back nine. She bogeyed the par four 10th hole, but bounced back with a birdie on the 11th.

The 21-year-old got another birdie on the second hole, an eagle on the par-five fifth and another bogey on the ninth.

Ko found the green in regulation on 16 of the holes, for an impressive and consistent round.

‘‘I hit a lot of greens, giving myself lots of opportunities for birdies,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s a golf course where nobody goes super low so you have to pay attention and play solid and be patient out there and sometimes par is not a bad score.’’

Ko is down to 31 in the LPGA rankings and has only finished in the top 10 once at a tournament this year.

Korda, playing alongside Kim a group ahead of Ko, also eagled the fifth and had four birdies and a bogey.

Korda won in Thailand in February in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery.

‘‘The score says one thing and my hands say another,’’ Korda said.

‘‘It was really cold out there today, so it was good that I stuck to kind of my process . ... Actually, this is still some of the nicer conditions that we’ve played in compared to the past. I’ll take the cold as long as there’s no rain.’’

Hedwall and Kim each had five birdies and a bogey.

‘‘I just love the city. It’s really nice,’’ said Hedwall, from Sweden. ‘‘It’s sort of a European-style city with all the shopping going on downtown and stuff. I love it here. I even like this weather, suits me really well, too.’’