Mediheal Championship Day 1: Suwannapura Tied 5th, Suwannapura 2nd, Tawattananakit Tied 11th, Kim Hyo-joo Tied 14th, Kim Se-young Tied 50th
Park In-bee is teeing off at the 8th hole on the first day of the Mediheal Championship. Daly City, USA = Getty Images / Multibits
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Golf Queen’ Park In-bee (33, KB Financial Group) has made a refreshing start.
On the 11th (Korean time), at the Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, California, USA (par 72, 6,551 yards), Park shot 3-under par on the first day of the LPGA Tour Mediheal Championship (total prize money $1.5 million), placing her in a tie for 5th. Leona Maguire (Ireland) leads with 7-under par 65, Jasmine Suwannapura (Thailand) is 2nd with 6-under par 66, and Alban Valenzuela (Switzerland) and Alison Lee (USA) are tied for 3rd with 4-under par 68.
Park In-bee recorded six birdies and three bogeys. She started shakily with a bogey on the 2nd hole (par 4), but demonstrated her ability to surge with four consecutive birdies from holes 4 to 7. After a bogey on the 9th hole (par 5), she recovered with a birdie on the 14th hole (par 4), then exchanged a bogey on the 17th hole (par 3) for a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5). Her tee shots were outstanding, with a fairway hit rate of 93%. She is four strokes behind the leader, laying the groundwork for her second win of the season, three months after winning the Kia Classic last March.
Park In-bee is a ‘living legend’ with a total of 21 LPGA Tour wins, including seven major championships. She won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, becoming a ‘career golden slammer.’ This year, she started her season early to defend her title at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics next month. She is on an upward trend, having finished in the ‘top 10’ in her last three tournaments. She said, "The greens are quite tricky," but added, "I will play the remaining rounds with a relaxed mind."
Maguire swept up nine birdies (two bogeys) to dominate the top of the leaderboard. She is a rookie who debuted on the LPGA Tour last year and was formerly ranked No. 1 in the amateur world rankings. Her best results include a tie for 21st at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a tie for 2nd at the Lotte Championship last April. Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand), the ‘ANA Champion,’ is tied for 11th at 2-under par, Lexi Thompson (USA) is tied for 14th at 1-under par, and Lydia Ko (New Zealand), the inaugural 2018 champion, is tied for 30th at even par.
From Korea, Lee Da-yeon (24, Mediheal), a ‘KLPGA member’ invited by the sponsor, is sailing smoothly in a tie for 5th. After a triple bogey on the first hole, the 10th hole (par 4), she showed resilience by making six birdies. ‘HSBC Women’s Champion’ Kim Hyo-joo (26, Lotte), Yang Hee-young (32, Woori Financial Group), and Lee Jeong-eun (33) are tied for 14th. Kim Ah-rim (26, SBI Savings Bank) is tied for 30th, and 2019 champion Kim Se-young (28) and Yoo So-yeon (31, both Mediheal) are tied for 50th at 1-over par.
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