The LPGA Lotte Championship, featuring a beefed-up purse and a new slot on the tour calendar, got underway Wednesday at Hoakalei Country Club.

A Lim Kim, a 29-year-old from South Korea, leads the field by a stroke after shooting 6-under 66. Kim eagled the par-5 first hole and went 5 under on the front nine.

Five other players are a stroke back.

Defending champion Grace Kim shot an even-par 72 and sits in a tie for 57^th. The two other past winners in the field, Brooke Henderson and Hyo Joo Kim, were tied for 21^st and 57^th after shooting 2 under and par, respectively.

Hawaii’s Allisen Corpuz, the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champion from Kapolei, is not competing in her backyard this year, but Kaiser High graduate Malia Nam is in the field.

Nam, a USC alumna, is tied for 44^th after shooting a 1-under 71. Nam eagled No. 18 on a chip out of a greenside bunker to close her round.

The tournament’s purse was bolstered from $2 million to $3 million this year and the event shifted from April to November to follow the LPGA’s one-month Asia swing. Only two Florida events remain on the season after this week.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.