MELANIE Green got the surprise of her life on Friday, May 1, 2026, when she made a hole-in-one she did not even realize had gone in, helping her shoot a six-under-par 66 and share the first-round lead with Brianna Do at the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
A Surprise Ace
According to an Associated Press report, Green, a rookie on the LPGA Tour, was playing the par-3 15th when she hit a 7-iron that landed about 20 feet short of the hole and rolled into the cup. While announcers celebrated the ace, Green had no idea the ball had dropped.
“I was like, ‘OK, great shot. Phenomenal.’ Grab the putter — normally hit the green, grab the putter,” Green was quoted as saying. As she approached the green and could not find her ball, she thought it had rolled past the hole. Her caddie repaired the pitch mark, checked the cup and found her ball inside, marked with a cross.
“I walk up there and all I could see was the cross. I was so excited,” Green said. “Yeah, thought I just went way left. But whatever. Good bounce.”
Strong Rounds from Contenders
Green’s strong round also included five birdies. She reached the turn in 30 before closing with a bogey on her final hole. Do matched Green’s 66 after taking advantage of calmer early-afternoon conditions. She opened with four birdies in her first five holes, dropped one shot at No. 9, then played the back nine bogey-free with three more birdies.
Do said a windy US Women’s Open qualifier a few weeks earlier helped prepare her for the breeze coming off the Gulf of Mexico. “I think for some reason playing in the wind helps me kind of just play golf, instead of like playing a golf swing,” Do said.
Korda and Others in Contention
World No. 1 Nelly Korda also made a solid start, carding a 68 despite playing later in stronger winds. The round came just four days after she won the Chevron Championship, the year’s first major. Korda made the turn with an eagle after hitting a 7-iron to 15 feet on a par-5 hole. She had only one bogey and scored all her under-par holes on the par 5s, with three birdies and the eagle.
“The fairways are really tight,” Korda said. “When it gets gusty like this it is harder to hold them, so just hit solid drives.” Spain’s Carlota Ciganda shot a 67 despite playing the par 5s in even par. Korda was joined at 68 by a group that included Mexico’s Gaby Lopez and Japan’s Erika Hara.
