Women's British Open 2015: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and LPGA Highlights

World No. 4 Hyo Joo Kim grabbed the overnight lead at the first round of the Women's British Open, holding a one-shot advantage after posting a score of 65, seven under par, on Thursday at Turnberry. 

The early headlines had been stolen by course owner Donald Trump, who flew in to witness the first day of action, but it was Kim who grabbed the attention at the end of play.

Lydia Ko and Cristie Kerr both ran the South Korean star close, with the pair carding rounds of six under to keep the leader under pressure. 

However, neither could match Kim's performance, as the golfer avoided bogey throughout her impressive round. 

American superstar Michelle Wie had a disappointing day, shooting 76, taking her well out of contention. 

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Here is the leaderboard at the conclusion of Thursday's action:

Pos.	Player	Country	Score	Total
1	Hyo Joo Kim	Korea	-7	65
T2	Lydia Ko	New Zealand	-6	66
	Cristie Kerr	USA	-6	66
T4	Q Baek	Korea	-5	67
	So Yeon Ryu	Korea	-5	67
T6	Shiho Ohyama	Japan	-4	68
	Mika Miyazato	Japan	-4	68
	Florentyna Parker	England	-4	68
	Teresa Lu	Taiwan	-4	68
	Katie Burnett	USA	-4	68

It was a strong day for Asian golf, with the top positions dominated by their best talent.

Korea have Kim at the summit, with Q Baek and So Yeon Ryu tied for fourth after hitting rounds of five under. Japan's Shiho Oyama and Mika Miyazato sit one shot behind on four under, along with Taiwan's Teresa Lu. 

However, it was Kim who shined brightest on Thursday after her faultless display saw her hit five birdies and one eagle. Birdies on the third, fourth and eighth holes set the leader up perfectly, and she stepped up her performance on the back nine, grabbing a brilliant eagle at the 14th. 

But Kim's lead is a slender one as the field look toward Round 2, with USA's Kerr in fine fettle just behind.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

The world No. 14 flew into her first nine holes, grabbing birdies at the second, fourth and fifth and scoring an eagle on the third. But the round was punctured by a series of bogeys on the sixth, 12th and 13th holes. 

New Zealand's Ko was closest to Kim on form for the day, tying with Kerr for second and only conceding bogey once—at the sixth. Seven birdies keep the world No. 2 in the hunt for the title. 

Florentyna Parker had a great day on the course and hit a steady four under. Parker is ranked well outside the world's top 100 golfers, but she held her own, with four birdies and an eagle to her name.

The English player took to social media to express her delight and gave a humorous insight into her current form:

Kim looks like the player to beat at this major, with her consistency off the tee—and on the green—hard to match.

However, Ko has had a great year and will feel she can leapfrog the the leader in the next round. She has the temperament in her game to deal with the pressure at Turnberry and will not back down from a challenge.

Parker will need to play the game of her life if she is to keep up with the world's top-ranked players, but the early signs are excellent for the German-born talent.