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Australia's dual major winner Minjee Lee has boosted her hopes of making the season-ending Tour Championship with a hot start at the LPGA Tour event in Florida.

Minjee Lee has enhanced her chances of featuring in the LPGA Tour's prestigious season-ending championship with a promising start to The Annika in Florida.

Lee opened with a four-under-par 66 to be sitting in a six-way tie for fifth, two shots off the pace at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair.

Australia's dual major winner and one-time world No.2 is languishing, uncharacteristically, in 56th spot in the season-long point standings.

Only the top 60 will qualify for next week's Tour Championship, leaving Lee needing a strong finish at the penultimate $US3.5 million ($A5.4 m) event.

Steph Kyriacou (60th) and Hira Naveed (72nd) also need to play well to extend their LPGA seasons by an additional week, but haven't made the best of starts. 

Naveed opened with a two-over 72 and Kyriacou a 73 to be equal 99th, and are in danger of missing the halfway cut.

After making bogey on the third hole on Thursday, Lee rebounded with five birdies to trail co-leaders Jiwon Jeon of South Korea and Englishwoman Charley Hull by two strokes.

Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh is joint third, one stroke back, with Korean Mi Hyang Lee after carding first-round five-under 65s.

Lee shares fifth with world No.1 Nelly Korda, fellow American Cheyenne Knight, Spaniard Carlota Giganda, Norway's Celine Borge and Swede Maja Stark.

The West Australian star is provisionally risen to 52nd in the points standings, comfortably inside the Tour Championship qualification cut-off. 

Rookie Gabriela Ruffels, her Tour Championship start already secured, and Robyn Choi, are the next-best Australians in a tie for 21st at two under.