Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour rookie Ko Ji-won, 19, took the lead on the first day of the EverCollagen-Ducierna Queen’s Crown ($800,000) in her hometown of Jeju, South Korea.
Ko Ji-won carded eight birdies and no bogeys for an 8-under-par 64 in the first round of the tournament at the par-72, 6,470-yard Derciena Country Club in Jeju City on Wednesday to take sole possession of the lead.
He is three strokes off the pace of second-place Lee Jung-min (5-under 67).
Ko, who is making her regular tour debut this season and whose previous best finish was a tie for 11th at the E1 Charity Open in May, broke the course record on the first day of the tournament.
The previous course record was a 5-under 67 by Park Min-ae at the 1992 Seosan Women’s Open in Korea.
Ko is known as the “sister golfer. Her two-year-old sister, Ko Go-woo, plays with her on the KLPGA Tour.
Ko made her full-time tour debut last year and won her first title at the McCall-Mona Yongpyong Open, which concluded on Sunday, giving her sister a chance to follow in her footsteps in two weeks.
On a cloudy and humid day with winds that changed direction frequently, Ko got off to a strong start with a birdie putt from about 6.5 meters on the third (par-4) and a similar distance on the next (par-5).
She continued to make accurate mid- to long-range putts to drop four strokes from the front to the back.
“My shots have been good lately, but my putts haven’t been following through, so I practiced a lot yesterday in the sun, and it paid off,” said Ko, who said she was encouraged by the performances of her sister and other rookies. “I still have three days left, so I’ll play the same as usual.”메이저사이트
Lee made five birdies in the first round, but was unable to cut any more strokes in the second and trailed Ko by three shots.
He is aiming for a “multi-win” season after winning the PLK Pacific Links Korea Championship in Vietnam last December, the second event of the 2023 season.
“The wind didn’t blow as much as I thought it would, and it only picked up near the end, so I was able to reduce my score,” Lee said, adding that his iron game worked well.
Isomi, who had just returned from competing in the U.S. Women’s Open in Pebble Beach, California, 10 days earlier, shot a 4-under 68 to finish in a tie for third place.
There were eight players in the top three, including Isomi, and 10 in a tie for 11th (3-under par 69), including “super rookie” Bang Shin-sil and the inaugural champion (2021) Jeon Ye-sung.
Veteran Kim Hae-rim, playing in her 300th career tournament, shot a 1-under 71 and is tied for 27th with Park Hyun-kyung and Hong Ji-won.
Ko Ji-won’s sister, Ko Go-woo, was tied for 92nd (3-over-par 75).
Minji Park in action.
[Courtesy of the KLPGA. Resale and DB prohibited].
Park Min-ji, who leads the season in money (588.7 million won) and is second in points (300), is tied for 103rd with a 4-over-par 76 and will have to worry about making the cut.
Park, who is coming off a tie for 13th at the U.S. Women’s Open, had two birdies and six bogeys on the day.
Kim Min-byul, who lost in a playoff to fellow rookie Hwang Yoo-min at the Daewoo Women’s Open last week, combined three bogeys and a double bogey with no birdies for a 5-over-par 77 and is tied for 110th.