Who’s going to win this?

I.K. Kim is off to a good start, but the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Apologies to Bob Dylan. And Peter, Paul and Mary have got nothing on Michelle, Ai and Inbee.

Or any of the other competitors dealing with the stiff breezes Wednesday at the first round of the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club.

Certainly not on first-round leader Kim. She played in the last group of the day and as darkness approached validated what Inbee Park said an hour earlier after shooting 5-under.

"Afternoon is a little bit windier than the morning usually, but you just never know with the island weather," Park said.

Kim said she shrugged off the late tee time because it was windy in the morning, too.

As the sun set over the Ewa Plain, she finished up her round in spectacular fashion. Three consecutive birdies to close it out made it eight for the round and a 7 under.

For her, the wind was just so much hot air.

The breezes slowed a bit near the end of Kim’s round from when they had peaked in the late afternoon, sometimes with gusts up to 25 mph.

But that didn’t really make things easier for her … golfing in variable wind is like trying to make solid contact against a pitcher masterful at mixing speeds and location. Adapt, or pay the price.

"Actually I think some holes were calm. It was like moving around today," Kim said. "So still there was a lot of crossing wind. Like every hole was crossing rather than into or down. So it was kind of tricky to judge the alignment more than the distance."

It’s easy to forget that the wind can play as much or even more havoc with putting as it does with other shots.

"Sometimes I have to back off like 3-footers just because I can’t balance like in the gust," Kim said.

Michelle Wie said that’s why play gets so slow sometimes when the wind is up.

"Yeah, I mean, some of the putts you kind of have to play before the wind as well, too. It’s not like it’s a constant, so you kind of have to wait for the right moment for the wind to blow or not blow," Wie said. "It gets tricky out there. Just got to stay patient and try to hit solid putts and take whatever comes at you."

Park rolled in a 45-footer for birdie to conclude her stellar round that at the time looked like it’d be good enough for a share of the lead.

"I think it just had too much speed to actually be bothered by the wind. (On) short putts (you) definitely have to read the wind and play the wind," Park said. "I just tried to put it close to the hole. I had a little bit of speed and just ended up going in the hole."

Ai Miyazato uncharacteristically missed a 4-footer on 18 for par. But the 2012 champion smiled afterward anyway with her 2-under to match Wie’s.

"Even on the green, you are sometimes affected with the wind. Even if you hit the right spot, it still sometimes won’t go (in the hole)," she said. "You gotta accept it. And I love this wind, because with no wind sometimes this golf course is maybe, I shouldn’t say too easy, but with this wind it’s just the perfect conditions. I liked it."

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.