Qualifying Series 1R Tied 4th at 2 Strokes Behind
Cheong Suchia Leads, Stoll and Grewal Tied 2nd
Im Jinhee, Seong Yujin, Jang Hyojun Tied 13th at 3 Under Par
Lee So-mi has made a refreshing start.
On the 30th (local time), she shot 4-under par in the first round of the LPGA Tour Qualifying (Q) Series held at Magnolia Grove Golf Course (par 72) in Mobile, Alabama, USA, placing her in a tie for 4th. Cheng Shih-chia (Taiwan) leads at 6-under par, while Ziggy Stoll (USA) and Savannah Grewal (Canada) are tied for 2nd at 5-under par, engaging in a close chase.
Lee So-mi recorded five birdies and one bogey. Her concentration stood out as she made three consecutive birdies from holes 5 to 7 and another birdie on the 9th hole (par 4), reducing four strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, she recovered from a bogey on the 11th hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 3). Lee So-mi is a strong player with five career wins on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. She also has experience finishing 5th at the 2021 LPGA Tour Lotte Championship.
KLPGA multiple winner Im Jin-hee, ‘Match Queen’ Sung Yoo-jin, and Jang Hyo-jun started steadily, tied for 13th at 3-under par. Kang Hye-ji and Shin Bi are tied for 38th at 1-under par, and Yoon Min-ah is tied for 52nd at even par. Hong Jeong-min and Lee Jeong-eun 5 are tied for 66th at 1-over par, while Joo Soo-bin is tied for 94th at 3-over par.
The Q Series is a grueling schedule of 108 holes over six days. After four rounds, lower-ranked players are cut. The top 20 players earn LPGA Tour cards for next year. Players ranked 21st to 45th receive conditional status and Epson (second-tier) Tour eligibility.
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