While regular practice sessions at Ko Olina helped Ayaka Kaneko refine her swing, they’ve also taught her to steady herself in the wind that typically blows through the course.

As the West Oahu breezes contributed to some elevated scores in the first round of the Lotte Championship on Wednesday, Kaneko managed her way around the layout and signed for a 2-over-par 74, the best round among the four local entrants in the LPGA event.

"Two over in these conditions is not too bad, I’m OK with it," Kaneko said. "It was blowing really hard from the beginning and it never slowed down.

"I think I know how to deal with the wind, because I practice in this wind every day. I think some people are confused on how to judge the club if they’re not used to the wind."

Kaneko, a Sacred Hearts graduate, began her round with three consecutive bogeys, but turned the momentum with a birdie on the fourth hole and played the rest of the afternoon at even par.

"It’s really special," Kaneko said of playing at Ko Olina in the LPGA’s return to Hawaii after a two-year absence. "I know everyone here and I want to represent Hawaii and play well for them."

After her shaky start, Kaneko birdied the fourth and seventh holes to get back to 1 over. She bogeyed No. 13, but got it back when she placed her first shot on the par-3 17th to 15 feet and made the birdie putt to jump into a tie for 33rd place. She closed with a bogey on No. 18 and will enter this morning’s round tied for 52nd and aiming to make the cut for the third time in her first season on the LPGA tour.

"It’s totally different," said Kaneko, who played on the Symetra Tour the past two years. "I’m still new to this, but I’m really enjoying the opportunity and the challenge."

Punahou graduates Michelle Wie and Stephanie Kono both struggled in the morning round. Wie needed 34 putts to get through her round of 6-over 78. Kono made the turn at 5 over and finished with a 79. Shayna Miyajima of Wailuku also shot 6 over in her first LPGA event.

Kono carded her first birdie of the tournament on the par-4 15th hole, when she got a putt of about 20 feet to curl into the cup.

It appeared she’d give it back when her first shot on No. 16 sailed to the left and hit the cart path before settling under a tree well behind the green. Her next shot cleared the upslope and a couple of palm trees to land on the green and she again got a lengthy putt to fall to save par.

"It felt good, I started to hit some good shots on the back," Kono said. "I still hit some squirrelly ones, but I’m going to focus on the good ones I hit and work on whatever needs to be worked on on the range."

Wie began her round 50 minutes after Kono and found trouble not long after. Her tee shot on the second hole went into the water to the right and a three-putt left her with a double bogey.

She recovered with a birdie on No. 3, but fell back again with a double bogey on the par-3 fourth hole. She went into No. 17 at 7 over and hit her tee shot into a fairway bunker. But she stuck her approach about 6 feet from the hole and dropped the birdie putt. She finished by sending her approach from the 18th fairway through the green before chipping to within a few inches and tapping in for par.

"It was a good feeling to make birdie on 17 especially from the bunker, and my chip almost went in on 18, so I think it’s just a work in progress," Wie said. "I just need a good round to just really push me forward."