Sung Yujin and Kim Hyoju "Both at 3 Under Par"... Choi Yebon Surprises as Leader

Lotte Open 1R: Tied 13th, 3 Strokes Behind
Lee So-young, Lee Se-hee, Jung Yeon-joo Tied 2nd
Lee Ga-young, Yoo Hyo-joo, Ahn Song-yi Tied 8th

‘Match Queen’ Sung Yoo-jin is on a march for her second consecutive victory.

On the 1st, Sung Yoo-jin scored 3-under-par 69 in the first round of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Open (total prize money 800 million KRW) held at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon (par 72), placing her in a tie for 13th. Second-year player Choi Ye-bon leads with 6-under-par 66, while Lee So-young, Lee Se-hee, Jung Yeon-joo, Jeon Woo-ri, Jeon Ye-seong, and Lee Ji-hyun are tied for 2nd place at 5-under-par 67, engaging in a chase.

Sung Yujin is teeing off at the 2nd hole of the first round of the Lotte Open.
[Photo by KLPGA]

Sung Yoo-jin recorded five birdies and two bogeys. After securing her first career win at this tournament last year, she also won the Doosan Match Play Championship last month. She is three strokes behind the leader, in a position to aim for her second win of the season and third career victory. Sung said, "My finger is swollen and slightly uncomfortable. I tried my best not to focus on the finger pain and concentrated on my play." She added, "It’s a pity I couldn’t lower my score more because my shots weren’t very good, but I’m satisfied with my first-day score." She showed determination, saying, "Since this is a place where I played well before, I’m hypnotizing myself that I can do well."

LPGA members Kim Hyo-joo and Choi Hye-jin joined the group tied for 13th. Kim said, "It’s my first game in three weeks. Although it’s been a while since I played in a tournament, I think I finished well." She explained, "My irons were not bad, and my putting was okay. I felt good, so I brought out a putter I hadn’t used before, and it was fine." Choi Hye-jin said, "My shots are gradually improving. I had been playing defensively, but I will play more aggressively."

Lee Ga-young and Yoo Hyo-joo are tied for 8th place at 4-under-par 68. Middle school ‘long hitter’ Oh Soo-min and rookie race leader Kim Min-byeol are also in this group. Heo Da-bin made a hole-in-one on the 17th hole (par 3), but since it did not count as an official ace, she had to be satisfied with reducing her score by two strokes. Heo Da-bin is also tied for 13th.