After treating LPGA players, staff to Korean BBQ, Lydia Ko in ...

After eating well, Lydia Ko is again playing well in South Korea.

Ko shot 5-under 67 in the opening round of the BMW Ladies Championship to sit three shots off the early lead at Seowon Valley Country Club.

Earlier in the week, Ko treated some LPGA players and staff to a Korean BBQ dinner, continuing a tradition began by Chella Choi, who is currently on maternity leave.

“Yeah, Chella used to do that, give a little, I guess, experience to the LPGA staff and some of the players that came over for this event,” said Ko. “You know … my thought behind it as well, especially [since] I’ve had such a grateful year, a lot of positives.

“I think one of the fortunate things for me is I’ve gotten a lot of support from my fellow competitors and players who play on the LPGA. As much as we are playing against each other, and we want to be the one that finishes at the top of the leaderboard every week, they have been super supportive and some of them are girls that I’ve just known for a really long time.”

Ko, who won this event in 2022, is seeking her third consecutive LPGA title. Coming off Olympic gold – which qualified her for the LPGA Hall of Fame – she finished ninth at the Scottish Open, won the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews and then captured the Kroger Queen City Championship.

This is her first start since prevailing in Cincinnati.

Ko was near flawless on Thursday, making five birdies and no bogeys, finding all 14 fairways and hitting 17 of 18 greens in regulation.

“I played really solid. I didn't really put myself in that many difficult positions,” she said. “You know, this is kind of a golf course where if you hit the ball well, you know, you can set up and give yourself a lot of birdie opportunities. So I think I did that well.”