South Korean players on the U.S. Women's Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour were among the top players on the first day of the BMW Ladies Championship ($2.2 million purse) on their home course.
Shin Ji-eun carded eight birdies and no bogeys in the first round of the tournament on Sunday at the par-72 Seowon Hills Course at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, Gyeonggi-do.
Starting on the 10th hole, Shin's tee shots hit the fairway 100 percent of the time and she missed the green only once, on the 12th (par-4).
Shin, who made her LPGA Tour debut in 2011 and has one career win, 카지노사이트 carded an 8-under 64 to share the lead with Hannah Green (AUS) and Ashley Buhay (SA).
“I felt uncomfortable when I was hitting my shots, but it was a better score than I expected,” said Shin, who has a history of injuries from playing in windy European events.
On the first day of the tournament, the fairways were in poor condition and the Preferred Rule was in effect, which allows players to move the ball to a better spot.
“The Preferred Rye Rule allowed me to put the ball in a good place on the par-5s and aim for the green boldly,” Shin said.
Hae-ran Hae, one of two South Korean wins on the LPGA Tour this season, also shot a 7-under 65 to finish in a tie for fourth, one shot behind the three co-leaders.
“I played better than I thought and had a lot of chances, but it's unfortunate I couldn't capitalize on them,” said Hae-ran Hae. ”I had a lot of fans cheering me on, so I'll try to play well in the remaining rounds.”
Choi Hye-jin, Sung Yoo-jin and Ji Eun-hee also shot 6-under 66 to tie for fifth, giving South Korea five players in the top five.
Kim Hyo-ju and Kim Arim also shot 5-under 67 to finish in a tie for 11th place.
Defending champion Lee Min-ji Lee of Australia and Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko of New Zealand also shot 5-under 67 to open the tournament.
The 78-player field will play four rounds with no cuts.