Jang Hana Tied for 3rd Place by One Stroke... Lee Seung-yeon and Yang Ho-jung Share the Lead

6-Under Par on Day One of Celltrion Queens Masters, Park Min-ji and Park Hyun-kyung Tied for 22nd, Defending Champion Cho Jeong-min Tied for 38th

Jang Hana is reading the putting line on the 12th hole on the first day of the Celltrion Queens Masters. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Jang Hana (29, BC Card) is on a two-win streak.

On the 11th, at the Lake-Hill Course (Par 72, 6,536 yards) of Seo Seoul Golf Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, she shot 6-under par on the first day of the KLPGA Tour Celltrion Queens Masters (total prize money 800 million KRW) and tied for 3rd place. Jo Ah-yeon (21, Dongbu Construction), Kim Hae-rim (32, Samchully), and Kim Hee-ji (20, BC Card) are in this group. Lee Seung-yeon (23, SK Networks) and Yang Ho-jung (28) are tied for the lead (7-under par 65).

Jang Hana made seven birdies and one bogey. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), she made a birdie at the 11th hole (par 5) but lost it at the 12th hole (par 3), then began an upward trend with birdies at the 15th and 18th holes. In the back nine, she added two pairs of consecutive birdies at the 2nd-3rd and 6th-7th holes. She is one stroke behind the joint leaders and has a chance for her second win of the season and 15th career victory after defeating Yoo Hae-ran (20, SK Networks) in a playoff at last week's Lotte Open.

Jang, who said her mouth was so sore she "could hardly eat," commented, "The course has steep uphill sections, so stamina will be a variable." She added, "The weather looks good for the remaining two days, and rather than feeling the pressure to win, I will aim to finish within the top five."

Lee Seung-yeon showed flawless play with seven birdies. This is her second win opportunity since the Nexen Saintnine Masters in April 2019. She said, "My putting felt really good," and "I will do my best with the same mindset as the first day."

‘Domestic No. 1’ Park Min-ji (23, NH Investment & Securities) started comfortably tied for 22nd with a 3-under par. She is the strongest player this year with the most wins (3) and prize money (over 500 million KRW). ‘KLPGA Championship champ’ Park Hyun-kyung (21, Korea Land & Trust) also joined this group. Defending champion Jo Jung-min (27, Golden Blue) is watching her title defense from tied 38th place (2-under par 70). ‘Lotte Rent-a-Car champ’ Lee So-mi (22, SBI Savings Bank) struggled, tied for 110th place (3-over par 75).