NAPLES, Fla. — Somi Lee decided to change her putting grip to be like Lydia Ko and it paid off in a big way Thursday in the CME Group Tour Championship, where the South Korean opened with an 8-under 64 for a two-shot lead in the chase for a $4 million payoff.

Lee began to pull away when she went down one club to a 5-iron because of the warm conditions and set up an eagle on the par-5 17th. Her only lapse was a long three-putt bogey on the closing hole at Tiburon Golf Club.

Even so, she was two shots clear of former U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz.

Jeeno Thitikul, the No. 1 player and front-runner for LPGA player of the year, had six birdies in her round of 67, tied with three other players. Thitikul won the Tour Championship last year, and will win the points-based player of t

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