Choi Hye-jin and Song Ga-eun 'Tied for 2nd by 1 Stroke'... An Song-yi 'Leading at 5 Under Par'

Lotte Open First Day Fresh Start with 4 Under Par, Anna Lin Tied 4th, Kwak Bomi and Jang Hana Tied 11th, Lee Somi Tied 35th

Choi Hye-jin is teeing off at the 4th hole on the first day of the Lotte Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the revival shot of Choi Hye-jin (22, Lotte).

On the 3rd, at the Incheon Cheongna Bears Best Golf Club USA-Austral Asia Course (par 72, 6716 yards), during the first day of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Open (total prize money 800 million won), she scored 4 under par in heavy rain and tied for 2nd place with rookie Song Ga-eun (21, MG Saemaeul Geumgo). An Song-yi (31, KB Financial Group) leads with 5 under par 67 strokes, and seven players including An Na-rin (25, Munyoung Group) and Choi Eun-woo (26, Korea Land & Trust) are chasing in a tie for 4th place (3 under par 69 strokes).

Choi Hye-jin recorded 7 birdies and 3 bogeys. She started shakily with three consecutive bogeys from holes 3 to 5, but changed the momentum with 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 6 and 8. In the back nine, she joined the championship race with a birdie on hole 10 (par 5), consecutive birdies on holes 12 and 13, and 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 16 and 18. Choi Hye-jin is a 'superstar' who has won a total of 10 times, including 2 wins as an amateur. She debuted as a professional in 2018 and won the Rookie of the Year award, and achieved an impressive three consecutive Player of the Year titles until last year.

However, this year she has not won a single tournament in seven events. Her best results were 7th place at the Nexen Saint Nine in April and the Kyochon Honey Ladies in May. Last week at the EI Charity Open, she withdrew after the first day due to a knee injury. But at the sponsor's tournament this day, she stepped up to the leading group, signaling a turnaround from her slump. She said, "Today, I feel like the shot sense I used to have is coming back," and added, "I will focus on regaining my swing rather than the ranking."

'Kyochon Champ' Kwak Bo-mi (29, High1 Resort), Jang Ha-na (29, BC Card), and Lim Hee-jung (21, Korea Land & Trust) started comfortably tied for 11th place (2 under par 70 strokes). 'Lotte Rent-a-Car Champ' Lee So-mi (22, SBI Savings Bank) is tied for 35th place (even par 72 strokes), and 'KLPGA Championship Champ' Park Hyun-kyung (21, Korea Land & Trust) is tied for 70th place (2 over par 74 strokes). 'E1 Charity Open Champ' Ji Han-sol (25, Dongbu Construction) struggled, tied for 103rd place (4 over par 76 strokes).