'Unknown' Jo Eun-hye "Surprising Lead with 9-Under Par"

Eunhye Jo Sets Personal Best in Round 1 of Daewoo Winia Women's Open
Finishes Strong with 3 Late Birdies Showing Sharpened Putting Skills
Isomi Lee, Seonju An, Bokyem Park Tied for 2nd, 4 Strokes Behind

Eunhye Jo is making an iron shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the Daewoo Winia Women's Open.
[Photo by KLPGA]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seo-hee] Jo Eun-hye (24) surged to the top spot on the first day of the KLPGA Tour Daeyu Winia·MBN Women's Open (total prize money 900 million KRW) with a 9-under-par performance.

On the 12th, Jo Eun-hye swept up 10 birdies (1 bogey) in the first round of the tournament held at Daeyu Montberr Golf Course in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,590 yards). The 9-under-par is Jo Eun-hye's personal best score on the KLPGA Tour.

Jo Eun-hye is a relatively unfamiliar name. Having joined the KLPGA in May 2016, she has experience winning on the Dream Tour, the second-tier tour, but has never placed in the 'top 10' on the regular tour. In her 17th tournament this year, Jo Eun-hye leveraged her sharpened putting skills to finish 4 strokes ahead of co-second place players including Lee So-mi (23).

Starting her round at the 10th hole (par 4), Jo Eun-hye made long birdie putts of 11m, 15m, and 4m in the first three holes. At the 15th hole (par 3), she hit her tee shot to about 1.5m from the hole for a birdie, and at the 16th hole (par 4), her second shot landed about 1m from the hole, adding another birdie.

Her strong performance continued in the back nine. After consecutive birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes, she made three straight birdies from the 7th to the 9th holes. The only bogey was recorded at the 5th hole (par 4).

After finishing the first round in the lead, Jo Eun-hye said in an interview, "My putting felt really good for the first time in a while. My shot feeling improved as well, which helped me achieve a good result." She smiled and added, "The 13m birdie putt I made on the 2nd hole (par 4) is the most memorable. I was surprised even after it went right into the center of the hole."

Meanwhile, defending champion Lee So-mi also showed formidable skills. Lee So-mi made 5 birdies without any bogeys. Veterans An Seon-ju (35) and Park Bo-gyeom (24) joined the group tied for second place.

Choi Ye-rim (23), who finished as runner-up at last week's Jeju Samdasoo Masters, had a fresh start at joint 5th place (4-under-par 68). Lim Hee-jeong (22), competing for the first time in the second half of the season, is tied for 9th place (3-under-par 69).

'Order of Merit leader' Yoo Hae-ran (21) is tied for 15th place (2-under-par 70), while 'lowest scoring average leader' Park Ji-young (26) and 'two-time champion' Jo Ah-yeon (22) are tied for 25th place (1-under-par 71). The 'prize money leader' Park Min-ji (24), aiming for her third tournament win, finished tied for 57th place (1-over-par 73).