Lydia Ko tied for LPGA Tour lead at chilly Lake Merced

DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) — Lydia Ko was back on top at Lake Merced.

Ko shot a 4-under 68 on a chilly Thursday morning at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship for a share of the first-round lead. Jessica Korda, Caroline Hedwall, In-Kyung Kim and Su Oh joined Ko atop the leaderboard in the LPGA Tour's return to Lake Merced after a year away.

"This is a golf course where you need to drive the ball well and putt well," said Ko, the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic winner at the course in 2014 and 2015.

Ko eagled the par-5 fifth and had four birdies and a bogey. The New Zealander has 14 LPGA Tour wins, the last in July 2016.

"It's nice to come back to a place where you feel super-welcomed," Ko said. "It just brings back a lot of great memories. ...