Lilia Vu didn't feel her best on the range but made up for that on the course with an eight-under 64 to take the lead in the Ford Championship.

In a tournament littered with big-name stars, Vu holds a two-shot lead over a group that includes Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul at Whirlwind Golf Club.

Korda and Thitikul, the Nos.1 and 2 ranked-players in the women's world rankings, were grouped together in the morning and put on quite a show.

Thitikul had a birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie start and was six under through six holes. She shot 29 on her opening nine, with Korda at 31. Thitikul wound up with a 64, Korda with a 65.

"It was like a great tempo. We kept our rhythm really nicely," Korda said. "When everyone is playing nicely, you kind of feed off each other as well."

The Ford Championship is the first domestic LPGA event since the Asia swing (Korda skipped it for the second straight year), and the field was as strong as it gets this side of a major, with everyone from the top 10 in the world and 19 out of 20.

Vu, a double major winner in 2023 who struggled with a back injury last year, was feeling stress on the range and said her caddie settled her down. He told her to pick a target, and that's about as simple as Vu made it look.

She goes into the weekend at 14-under 130 without having made a bogey yet.

"Just focused on the shot in front of me and getting from point A to point B," Vu said. "That really kind of helped me. Somehow just happened to play well. Felt like everything was grooving in the right spot."

Charley Hull, who led after the first day with a 63, struggled to get going as a light wind picked up in otherwise comfortable weather for Arizona.

She was even par through six holes - that meant losing ground on this day - and rallied for a 69. But she made only one birdie on the four par 5s and joined Korda, Thitikul and Nanna Koertz Madsen at 12-under 132.

Young Australian hopeful Steph Kyriacou made a four-under 68 to go with her opening 67.

The 24-year-old Sydneysider is nine under for the tournament and in a tie for ninth.

Kyriacou made five birdies with her only blemish coming on the par-four 16th, but she bounced back immediately on the next hole to get the shot back.

Compatriots Hira Naveed (71-67) and Cassie Porter (70-68) are at six under and tied 35th.

The cut was at four-under 140, good scoring for a course that still features firm, bouncy greens that can make it difficult to get easy looks at birdie.