World No. 1 Nelly Korda made a flying return to competitive golf on Thursday, firing a bogey-free seven-under-par 63 in the opening round of The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.

It was Korda's first tournament in eight weeks, and she looked as though she had never been away, sitting just two shots behind joint leaders Hye-Jin Choi and Minami Katsu after the first round of the LPGA Tour event.

Choi, of South Korea, set the early pace with a career-best nine-under 61, while Japan's Katsu ran off three straight birdies late in her round to catch her at the top of the leaderboard.

Korda back after eight-week break

Korda's last competitive golf came at the Solheim Cup in September, where she went 2-1-1 in an American defeat in the Netherlands, and her most recent LPGA Tour outing was the FM Championship outside Boston in August.

She admitted afterwards that the time away had been badly needed. "I needed to take that break, and right after Solheim I was burned out," Korda said. "I just needed to mentally step away for a few days."

"It was nice to kind of feel those juices flowing again, especially playing with Hye-Jin who just had a great round today," she added.

Korda typically skips the LPGA Tour's Asia swing, early and late in the year, before gearing up for the final two events of the season in Florida.

Hall of Fame within reach

There is plenty at stake for Korda this week. She has already clinched the LPGA Tour's Rolex Player of the Year award based on points, and she needs just one more point to reach the 27 required for entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

A victory in one of the final two events of the season would secure it, and would make the 28-year-old the 36th member of the hall. She has won The Annika three times in her career already.

"Is the Hall of Fame something I'm really looking at? Not at all. I mean, I'm just focusing on being competitive and trying to give it my all," Korda said. "What drives me is the competitive tournament that I'm in currently."

Korda has four wins this season from her 19 career LPGA Tour titles, including the first two majors of the year, the Chevron Championship and her first U.S. Women's Open title in early June at Riviera. She also won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and the Riviera Maya Open.

She leads the Race to CME Globe heading into next week's season-ending Tour Championship, where any of the 60 players in the field can become the season champion and claim a $2 million prize.

Choi and Katsu share the lead

Choi, coming off a strong Asia swing that included a pair of runner-up finishes, is chasing her first LPGA title in five years. She made birdies on half of her holes and hit 17 greens in regulation on her way to 61.

"I didn't really have like make big mistakes," Choi said. "I finished really well and I'm really satisfied about making bogey-free round."

Katsu was also bogey-free as she tries to become the sixth Japanese player to win on the LPGA Tour this year.

England's Lottie Woad, Ireland's Leona Maguire and Spain's Carlota Ciganda were among a group tied on five under after rounds of 65, while England's Charley Hull finished a shot further back on four under.

The Annika, which carries a $3.25 million purse, runs until Sunday, 15 November, with the second round getting under way on Friday.

Sources: Golf Digest and TSN