GALLOWAY TWP. _ Elizabeth Szokol considered her hot start and 8-under round in the first round of the ShopRite Classic "a solid day."

Szokol, of course, reveled in her performance, which was exeptional more than simply solid, in which she opened with five birdies and added four more later in her round on Friday, June 6. The 30-year-old from Winnetka, Ill. didn't allow herself to get too excited about her five-hole streak.

Everything went smoothly for her at the Classic as she shot a 63 on the Bay Course at the Seaview. Szokol sits side by side atop the leaderboard with Ilhee Lee, whose accurate drives and on-target putts enabled her to achieve her goal of having fun.

"I was trying not to," Szokol said when asked if she was thinking about the streak of five birdies. "I was trying to keep hitting good golf shots and rolling good putts. I think I did a pretty good job of that, which was fun. I just hit the ball great and gave myself a lot of good looks, so it was a great day."

There were plenty of highlights in that opening run, like Szokol sinking several long putts, including one from 12 feet on her second hole.

"It was great," Szokol said. "I kept hitting the ball really good and gave myself a lot of opportunities. It was a really solid day. I'm happy with it."

She finished the day with only 26 putts, an impressive feat.

"I would say I hit the ball very close which helped me a lot," Szokol said. "I hit a lot of three andfour footers for birdie. I made a couple of 10 to 12 footers, which was nice to see go in. I just hit the ball really good. I hit a lot of fairways and and had some wedges in, so a lot of good opportunities. I've been working a lot on my tee shots and wedges so I saw that pay off today. It was great to see the round come together."

Lee, whose only tour title was in 2013 when she claimed the Pure Silk Classic, went on birdie streaks, making three in a row - three times during her round. Her birdie bursts began on the third, eighth and 16th holes.

"I was hitting really, really good," Lee noted. "I didn't really miss tee shots. I made a lot of putts. It was really fun."

The ShopRite Classic is Lee's 200th tournament so she considered it "special." A shoulder injury sustained in 2019 slowed her down. However, she got back on track in 2021 and 2022, entering five to 10 events per year.

"It was a long journey," Lee said. "I was injured and had to stop playing. It can't be helped."

Lee-Anne Pace had the day's only hole in one, acing the 188-yard 15th hole. The 44-year-old Pace, from South Africa, used a 5-hybrid club to record her first tour hole in one. However, it was the 10th time her ball made it from tee to pin perfectly.

"I was staring at it, staring at it, took the break. Everything," said Pace, who had a 67. "I was like 'Get in.' I thought it stopped and I turned away. My sister was like 'It's in.'"

Pace said that the hole in one will rank as the best one she's ever had, partly because it was a bit wind and she had to "shape it in there." St. Jude's benefited from her accuracy and will receive a $20,000 donation from the LPGA.

"That makes me feel so good actually," she said. "I'm very happy about that. I'll try and make four more." 

Nelly Korda, No. 1, had a 71, putting her in a tie for 65th place, while Maja Stark, the 2025 U.S. Open champion, entered the clubhouse with a 71.

Korda, who went off on the 10th hole, carded bogeys on two of her first four holes. At the turn, she was even after posting a birdie on No. 18. On the concluding nine, it was more of the same - two bogeys and two birdies.