Yamashita sparkles with 62

EDMONTON, Alberta — Miyu Yamashita made a spectacular start to the CPKC Women’s Open on Thursday, firing an 8-under-par 62 to take a one-stroke lead over fellow Japanese star Nasa Hataoka at Royal Mayfair.

Yamashita, who began her round in the morning, finished with a birdie on the par-4 ninth to move to the top of a tightly packed leaderboard.

The 23-year-old Japanese golfer made the most of calm conditions and a hot putter, putting herself in position to contend for another LPGA Tour title after winning the Meijer LPGA Classic in June.

She also captured the AIG Women’s Open and Maybank Championship last year.

“It’s been a while since I finished the first round in good position, so I was able to make some putts as well,” Yamashita said. “I’m pretty happy with how I played.”

Her biggest complaint about the opening round had little to do with her golf.

“There’s so many bugs on the course,” she said of the mosquitoes at the tree-lined Royal Mayfair course, which sits along a bend of the North Saskatchewan River near downtown Edmonton.

Hataoka, meanwhile, closed with a bogey on the ninth to settle at 7-under 63, one shot behind Yamashita.

“No wind today and so many mosquitoes,” Hataoka said.

American Kiara Romero was alone in third at 6-under 64 in her first tournament as an LPGA Tour member.

The 20-year-old became only the second player to earn LPGA membership through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway, following Lottie Woad last year.

A pair of Canadian teenagers also made an early impact in their national championship.

Anna Huang, 17, of Vancouver, and 18-year-old amateur Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ontario, both shot 5-under 65 to remain within striking distance of the lead, alongside China’s Ruoning Yin.

Huang already has four Ladies European Tour victories, including two this season, and said she arrived at the tournament with greater confidence than in previous years.

“I think I’m definitely a lot more confident than I was the past few years coming into this event,” Huang said.

Xing, who is set to begin her freshman year at UCLA, said she focused on keeping her approach simple.

“I was just trying to keep it simple,” Xing said. “A lot of the time, I was just trying to get the speed right on certain putts because I had a lot of long putts.”

Jennifer Kupcho shot 66 to lead the group at 4 under.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda opened with a 67, matching Canadian favorite Brooke Henderson, a two-time CPKC Women’s Open champion in 2018 and 2025.

Henderson said the low scores meant she would need to stay aggressive in the second round.

“The scores are very low out here today,” she said. “Just trying to go out tomorrow and make a bunch of birdies and try to catch them.”

Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who won at Royal Mayfair as an amateur in 2013, opened with an even-par 70.