Park In-bee "Starts Tied 14th at 1 Under Par"... Koda Tied 2nd at 4 Under Par

2022 Season Opening Tournament of Champions Day 1: Lopez Leads, Jessica and Henderson Tied 6th, Lydia Ko Tied 14th

Park In-bee is making an iron shot at the 9th hole on the first day of the 2022 season opener Tournament of Champions. Orlando, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Golf Queen’ Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group) had a ‘steady start’.

On the 21st (Korean time), at the Lake Nona Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, USA (par 72, 6,617 yards), the first day of the 2022 LPGA Tour season opener, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (total prize money $1.5 million), Park shot 1-under par to tie for 14th place. Gaby Lopez (Mexico) leads with 5-under par 67, while ‘Number 1’ Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang (both USA), and Yuka Saso (Japan) are tied for 2nd place at 4-under par 68.

This is a ‘champion of champions’ event held only for winners from the past two years, with just 29 players participating. It is a celebrity pro-am format where notable figures from sports and entertainment join the players. Park In-bee recorded 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. After a birdie on the 1st hole was canceled out by a bogey on the 7th hole (both par 4), she made a birdie on the 9th hole (par 5), reducing one stroke in the front nine. In the back nine, she could only recover a bogey on the 14th hole with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 3), which was somewhat disappointing.

Her tee shot accuracy was outstanding, missing the fairway only once. However, she struggled on the greens, recording 31 putts during the round. She is 4 strokes behind the leader, and with three days remaining, she is in a position to aim for a comeback. Lopez swept up 6 birdies (1 bogey) to dominate the top of the leaderboard. This is a great opportunity for her to reclaim the top spot for the first time in two years since winning after a playoff against Park In-bee and Nasa Hataoka (Japan) in 2020.

‘Number 1’ Nelly Korda is teeing off at the 9th hole on the first day of the Tournament of Champions. Orlando, USA = Getty Images / Multivitz

Korda recorded 1 eagle, 5 birdies, and 3 bogeys. Her long drives averaging 265 yards and 28 ‘stingy putts’ stood out. Defending champion Jessica Korda (USA) is also eyeing back-to-back wins, tied for 6th place at 3-under par 69, three strokes behind. Brooke Henderson (Canada) is tied for 6th, Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand) and Stacy Lewis (USA) are tied for 9th at 2-under par 70, and Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and Michelle Wie West (USA) are tied for 14th.

Korea’s Kim Ah-rim (27, SBI Savings Bank) is tied for 23rd at 2-over par 74, Park Hee-young (35, Isu Group) tied for 27th at 4-over par 76, and Lee Mi-rim (32, NH Investment & Securities) is at the bottom in 29th place at 5-over par 77, showing disappointing results. ‘Former Golf Queen’ Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) is leading the celebrity category with 33 points. Mark Mulder (USA) and three others are tied for 2nd with 32 points, and 2019 and 2020 champion John Smoltz (USA) is tied for 6th with 31 points.