Yan Liu had an albatross to offset three front-nine bogeys and rebounded from a late bogey for an even-par 72 and a one-stroke lead over four players Friday in the Chevron Championship, the first women’s major tournament of the year. Top-ranked Nelly Korda rallied late in the afternoon to make the cut in her title defense, following an opening 77 with a 68. She won last year at The Club at Carlton Woods for the last of her record-tying five straight victories. She used a different putter Friday. “I putted for an hour and a half after the round yesterday, so just needed something different,” Korda said. “Sometimes that´s all you need.” Fog delayed the start of play, with nine players unable to finish the round because of darkness. Liu, the 27-year-old Chinese player who shared the first-round lead with Haeran Ryu after a 65, admitted she would feel some pressure Saturday. “I think, definitely, I will feel a little bit, because, well, this is major,” Liu said. “I know the course is going to be harder, harder, so I think I just stay patient, calm because I´m very emotional person.” Hyo Joo Kim (71) was a stroke back with Lindy Duncan (66), Sarah Schmelzel (68) and Mao Saigo (68). Kim won the Ford Championship a month ago in Arizona for her seventh LPGA Tour title, while the other four players at the top of the leaderboard are winless. Liu holed her 175-yard second shot on the 505-yard, downwind par-5 eighth with a 7-iron for the albatross. “I saw the ball how to go in, so that´s really cool thing,” Liu said. “But I think they don’t have video for that hole. Little sad.” Liu then bogeyed No. 9 and opened the back nine with seven pars. She dropped into a six-way tied for the lead with a bogey on the par-3 17th. Her tee shot hopped left into fluffy Bermuda rough, she chunked her second to the fringe and missed a 15-foot par try. She got the stroke back with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th, finishing about an hour before sunset. “Last hole, is my first birdie today,” Liu said. “I´m glad I made it. Ryu had a 74 to fall two strokes back in a group with Angel Yin (70) , Manon De Roey (71) and Hye-Jin Choi (71). Weiwei Zhang also was 5 under with three holes left when play was suspended. Lexi Thompson was 4 under, following an opening 73 with a 67. The 30-year-old Florida player retired from full-time play at the end of last season. “I´m still practicing and training,” Thompson said. “I love working out. I´m still striving to be better for when I do tee it up because every time I tee it up I still want to win. It´s not like I´m just going out here to show face. I´m still very competitive, but just trying to enjoy the few times I will play.” She won the 2014 event – then the Kraft Nabisco Championship – at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California.