‘Iron Woman’ Choi Woon-jung "Tied for Lead by 1 Stroke"… Jeon In-ji 'Withdraws from Competition'

ISPS Handa World Invitational Day 1: 7-Under Surge, Kwak Min-seo Tied 5th, Lee Jeong-eun 6 Tied 71st

Choi Woon-jung is making a tee shot on the first day of the ISPS Handa World Invitational. Ballymena (Northern Ireland) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Choi Woon-jung (31, Volvik) has made a refreshing start.

On the 30th (Korean time) at the Galgorm Castle Golf Club (par 73) in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, the first day of the LPGA Tour ISPS Handa World Invitational (total prize money $1.5 million) saw her shoot 7 under par, placing her at the top of the leaderboard. Jennifer Kupcho (USA) and Gemma Dryver (Scotland) joined this group. The 1st and 2nd rounds are played at Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Massereene Golf Club (par 72), and the 3rd and 4th rounds are held at Galgorm Castle Golf Club.

This is a newly established tournament jointly organized by the European Tour, LPGA Tour, and Ladies European Tour (LET). Under the same tournament name, men's and women's competitions are held on the same course. The only difference is the course length. The biggest feature is its focus on 'gender equality.' Both men and women compete for the same total prize money of $1.5 million (?1.72 billion) with a winner's prize of $225,000 (?260 million). Choi Woon-jung recorded 1 eagle and 6 birdies (1 bogey).

Her strong start was highlighted by an eagle on the 1st hole (par 5) followed by three consecutive birdies on holes 2 to 4. After a brief pause with a bogey on the 5th hole (par 3), she showed resilience with a birdie on the 9th hole (par 5) and back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes. Choi Woon-jung is known as the 'Iron Lady' for her meticulous self-management. In 2014, she became the first Korean to receive the 'Sportsmanship Award' selected by tour players, and in July 2015 at the Marathon Classic, she succeeded on her 157th attempt, overcoming years without a title.

After six years without a victory, she seized the opportunity for her second career win by sharing the lead with a one-stroke difference. "Although it was my first time playing this course, I thought everyone was under the same conditions and tried not to miss the fairways and greens," said Choi Woon-jung. She added, "I received a lot of help by playing in the direction of my playing partner Olivia Mehaffey (Northern Ireland). I will focus on keeping the fairways and getting the ball on the greens at Massereene Golf Club as well."

Kwak Min-seo (31) joined the competition for the top spots, tied for 5th place, two strokes behind (5 under par). Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) is tied for 37th (1 under par), and No Ye-rim (USA), who finished 3rd last week at the fourth major Evian Championship, is tied for 50th (even par). Lee Jeong-eun 6 (25, Daebang Construction), who suffered a heartbreaking loss at the Evian Championship, recorded 4 birdies and 5 bogeys, tied for 71st (1 over par). Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group) withdrew her entry just before the tournament.