Jeon In-ji "Steady Start with 3 Under Par"... Danielle Kang Leads at 7 Under Par

2021 Opening Day Diamond Resort Tournament Tied 10th, Korda Sisters Tied 2nd, Hur Mi-jung and Park Hee-young Tied 20th

Jeon In-ji is smiling brightly at the 7th hole on the first day of the Diamond Resort Tournament. Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group) had a steady start.

On the 22nd (Korean time), at the Four Seasons Golf & Sports Club in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA (par 71, 6,645 yards), the opening event of the 2021 LPGA Tour season, the Diamond Resorts Tournament (total prize money $1.2 million), Jeon shot 3-under par on the first day to tie for 10th place. The unique format features players with wins over the past three years and celebrities competing in a 'pro-am'. Only 25 players participate, and the winner is decided by 72-hole stroke play.

Jeon In-ji recorded six birdies and one triple bogey. She started with a birdie on the first hole, the 10th hole (par 5), and made consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes, reducing three strokes in the front nine. She also made consecutive birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes in the back nine. However, a triple bogey on the 6th hole (par 4) set her back. Fortunately, a birdie on the 7th hole (par 5) helped ease the shock and secured her next round. Her putting count of 23 was outstanding. She is four strokes behind the leader, and with three days remaining, she is in a position to contend for the title.

Jeon In-ji is the player who won the 2015 US Women's Open as a 'non-member' and joined the LPGA Tour the following year. She won the Rookie of the Year title with her major victory at the 2016 Evian Championship and achieved her third career win at the KEB Hana Bank Championship in October 2018. It is unfortunate that she has been without a win for two years and three months since then. Jeon said, "I have trained very hard and almost fully recovered my form," and explained, "I have adapted to the new putter and trusted my short game and putting."

Danielle Kang (USA) dominated the leaderboard with seven birdies and no bogeys. Kang is a strong player with five career wins, including two last year. Defending champion Gaby Lopez (Mexico) and the American sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda are tied for second place at one stroke behind (6-under 65), pursuing the lead. Stacy Lewis is tied for fifth place (5-under 66), while Lexi Thompson (USA) and Brooke Henderson (Canada) are tied for seventh place (4-under 67).

Annika Sorenstam is taking a shot on the 7th hole on the first day of the Diamond Resort Tournament. Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

Korea's Heo Mi-jeong (32, Daebang Construction) and Park Hee-young (34, Isu Group) tied for 20th place (even par 71). In the celebrity invitational section played under a 'modified Stableford' system, tennis star Mardy Fish leads with 41 points, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks is second with 39 points, and baseball star John Smoltz (all USA), who is attempting a three-peat, is tied for fourth with 35 points. 'Legend of women's golf' Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) is in seventh place with 34 points.