Staff WriterThe Riviera Maya Open wasted no time in getting its elbows out on Thursday, as Brianna Do and Melanie Green both opened with rounds of 66 to share the lead at six-under-par in a first round that had aces, eagles, rookies, returning form and just enough mischief to keep everyone honest.
There were no bogey-free rounds in the field, which tells you plenty. Mayakoba may look like paradise, but it clearly has the temperament of a cat near a bath.
Brianna Do Rediscovers Mayakoba Spark
For Brianna Do, this was not merely a good start. It was a welcome reunion.
The Rolex Rankings No. 345 hit 7 of 14 fairways, found 14 greens in regulation and needed 28 putts. Her 66 tied the lowest opening round of her LPGA Tour career, matching the number she posted in the first round of the 2018 Indy Women in Tech Championship.
There was context here too. Do finished tied ninth at last year’s Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, which remains her only LPGA Tour top-10 finish. She also opened with a 68 here in 2025, so clearly this place brings out something in her game that has occasionally gone missing elsewhere.
Her 2026 season had offered two missed cuts from two starts before this week, but golf has a strange sense of humour. One minute it is hiding your confidence in a bunker rake; the next it hands you a 66 in Mexico and asks what took you so long.
Do also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open last week, giving this performance the feel of a player quietly getting her shoulders back.
“You know, I was first off this afternoon, so that was nice. The greens were receptive. Having a good week here last year brought good vibes coming back, so I was excited to be back here and try and better how I played last year.”
Melanie Green Announces Herself With An Ace
If Do’s round had the air of familiarity, Melanie Green’s had the crackle of arrival.
The 2026 LPGA Tour rookie matched Do’s 66 after hitting 7 of 14 fairways, 14 of 18 greens and taking just 24 putts. Her front nine — the back nine at Mayakoba — was a splendid 30, the lowest nine-hole score of her LPGA Tour career.
It also marked only the fourth time in 2026 that a player has started a tournament with 30 or better across their first nine holes. Chisato Iwai opened with 29 at the JM Eagle LA Championship, while Lydia Ko and Weiwei Zhang each posted 30s at the Ford Championship.
Green now joins Youmin Hwang as the only rookies to lead or co-lead at the end of any LPGA Tour round this season.
Then came the shot that made the scorecard blush.
At the 15th, Green struck a 7-iron from 163 yards and made the fifth hole-in-one of the 2026 LPGA Tour season. It also lifted the CME Group Cares Challenge total to $100,000.
“Yeah, so I was walking up and before I started walking I was like, okay, great shot. Phenomenal. Grab the putter. Normally hit the green, grab the putter. It’s cool effect. Then we’re walking up, walking up and I’m looking at the green, I’m like, there is no ball. I’m like, Shane, take the putter. This is embarrassing. I’m going to have chip. And so I’m like, all right, take the putter, whatever. He’s walking up, I fix my divot, and he’s like, I see two balls over there. Like what? And he walks up to the hole and he’s like, you made it. I’m like, Shane, that’s not nice. It’s not in the hole. That’s not nice. I walk up there and all I could see was the cross. I was so excited. Yeah, thought I just went way left. But whatever. Good bounce.”
That is golf in one paragraph: confidence, embarrassment, disbelief, a caddie accused of emotional cruelty, and then the ball sitting in the bottom of the cup.
Carlota Ciganda Keeps The Leaders In Sight
Carlota Ciganda sits third after an opening 67, just one shot behind Do and Green.
The Spaniard carded seven birdies and posted her lowest opening round on the LPGA Tour since a 64 at last year’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She also finished tied ninth at last year’s event, although she did not record a round in the 60s all week.
This time, she wasted no time correcting that detail.
“Started playing very good. It was nice this morning. There wasn’t much wind, so I took advantage of that: three birdies on the first five holes. Hit it pretty close on three, four, and two-putted for birdie on five. And then I bogeyed seven, but then birdied again ten, 11. Played pretty solid, hitting lots of greens. I think we have a good strategy going into this course, and, yeah, it’s nice way to start this tournament.”
Ciganda’s presence on the leaderboard matters. She has the sort of competitive steel that does not announce itself with fireworks. It just keeps walking forward until someone notices the scoreboard has become uncomfortable.
Gaby Lopez Gives Mexico A Home Hope
Gaby Lopez leads the Mexican contingent after opening in a tie for fourth.
Her round included an eagle at the 18th, one of seven recorded there during the first round. Lopez is one of nine Mexican players in the field this week, tying the record for the most Mexican players in any LPGA Tour event.
That mark matches the 2006 MasterCard Classic honoring Alejo Peralta, the 2007 Corona Championship, the 2008 Corona Championship and the 2010 Tres Marias Championship.
For the home galleries, Lopez’s strong start gives the Riviera Maya Open a local thread worth following. Tournament golf always feels sharper when the crowd has one of its own to pull along.
Leaderboard Context After Round One
Do and Green lead at six-under, with Ciganda one shot back at five-under and Lopez among the players tucked in behind.
The tournament scoring records remain firmly in view, though not yet threatened. Miranda Wang holds the 18-hole mark at 65 from the first round in 2025. Jenny Bae owns the 36-hole and 54-hole records at 138 and 209, while Chizzy Iwai set the 72-hole mark at 276 last year.
Green also tied Jenny Bae for the lowest round this season by a player making a hole-in-one. Bae achieved that during the first round of the Ford Championship.
There were two withdrawals during the opening round. Amelia Lewis withdrew, while Perrine Delacour withdrew due to illness.
What It Means Moving Forward
The Riviera Maya Open has started with a leaderboard that gives the tournament a bit of everything.
Do brings the comeback angle: a veteran with Mayakoba memories and a career that has bounced between the LPGA and Epson Tour. Green brings the rookie thunder: Epson Tour Player of the Year, Gaelle Truett Rookie of the Year, two Epson Tour wins in 2025 and the distinction of being the first American in 28 years to win The Women’s Amateur Championship.
Ciganda brings experience. Lopez brings the home roar. And Mayakoba brings enough trouble to ensure that no one should begin measuring the trophy cabinet just yet.
After one round, Do and Green have the lead. More importantly, they have momentum. In golf, that is a wonderful thing to possess — right up until the next tee shot asks whether you still have the receipt.
