Michelle Wie began her defense of the Lotte Championship title with a supportive hometown gallery following her around Ko Olina Golf Club through a steady round Wednesday afternoon.

Perhaps a dozen spectators — not counting officials and volunteers — were still around near sunset when I.K. Kim rolled in the last of her eight birdies to close out the low round of the tournament’s opening day.

Playing in the final group of the day, Kim birdied four of her last five holes to cap a 7-under-par 65, leaving her two shots clear of three fellow Korean players going into Thursday’s play.

"It was getting really dark," said Kim, who sank her final putt, a 12-footer for birdie, at 6:54 p.m. "It’s dinner time really, everybody needs to go home."

In winds that routinely test players’ patience, Kim bogeyed No. 11, her second hole of the day, then tore through the course to card her lowest round of the season. She skipped the Lotte Championship last year and her 65 on Wednesday matched her final-round total in 2013 when she tied for fourth.

"I think it’s always windy here and I have a lower trajectory than average. I think that helps me a little bit," Kim said. "I’m comfortable in the wind. I play a lot of good golf in the wind."

Well before Kim struck her first shot, Na Yeon Choi set the pace in the morning wave and was joined atop the leaderboard later in the afternoon by former world No. 1 Inbee Park and LPGA Tour rookie Sei Young Kim at 5-under 67. Jenny Shin, also of Korea, finished the day another shot back at 4 under.

Wie ended her round at 2-under-par 70 and is tied for 15th going into her at 7:44 a.m. tee time Thursday.

Wie made the turn at even par and birdied her first two holes on the back nine, including a chip in from the rough on No. 11. She rolled in a 7-footer for birdie on No. 15 then gave it back with a bogey on the par-3 16th and parred in from there to equal her opening round score of last year on her way to a victory in her home state.

"It was windy out there today from the very beginning, so I just tried to be patient and not do too much," said Wie who will open the second round on the 10th tee. "Tried to just give myself opportunities and just stay patient out there today, which is what I need to do for the next three days."

Given the way the wind was blowing by mid afternoon, I.K. Kim said she "didn’t see 7 under on the first tee at all."

That possibility came into focus in a closing stretch of three consecutive birdies.

She said managing the crosswinds made it "tricky to judge the alignment more than the distance."

"I think that’s why we played a five-hour round today," she said.

She made a 15-foot putt on No. 7 and drained a 12-footer on the par-3 eighth hole. With daylight fading, she took aim at the ninth green from 190 yards away with a 5-wood.

"I aimed 20 yards right of the flag and it just happened to be like a 12-footer (for birdie)," she said.

Choi also started her day on the 10th tee Wednesday morning and played Ko Olina’s four par 5s at 3 under and birdied both of the par 3s on the front side.

"I think this is the first time I really relaxed on the course this year. I think that’s why I played well and I really enjoyed it," Choi said.

"I don’t know why but this area kind of makes me just like chill out and relax."

After signing her card, Choi planned on heading to the range to work on a driver that found the fairway just seven times on Wednesday. Her irons and putter were responsible for her 3 under.

"But today my iron shots were great," she said. "I had one three-putt, but still I made a lot of birdies and a lot of putts."

Sei Young Kim caught Choi with a birdie on No. 17 and Park, ranked third in the latest Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, joined them at 5 under when she drained a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

"I can’t remember how long back I holed that long of a putt," said Park, who finished third in last year’s tournament and fourth in 2013. "Feels great to finish like that … still have a lot more days to play, but I definitely had a good start."