Im Jin-hee Ties for 5th Place Start... 'Rookie Power'

Major Chevron Championship Round 1 Starts at 3 Under Par
Koglin Leads, Koda 2nd, Lydia Ko 5th
Shin Ji-eun 10th, Shin Ji-ae 31st, Bang Shin-sil 68th

It is Im Jin-hee's 'Rookie Power.'

Im Jin-hee

On the 18th (local time), at The Club at Carlton Woods (par 72, 6,824 yards) in The Woodlands, Texas, USA, the first major tournament of the LPGA Tour season, the Chevron Championship (total prize money $7.9 million), kicked off. Im Jin-hee shot a 3-under-par 69 in the first round, placing her in a tie for 5th. Lauren Coughlin (USA) took the lead with six birdies and a 6-under-par 66. World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA) and two others are tied for 2nd place at 4-under-par 68, two strokes behind the leader.

Im Jin-hee recorded five birdies and two bogeys. She struggled to lower her score, exchanging two birdies and two bogeys over 13 holes. She changed the momentum with a birdie on the 14th hole (par 4), then showed strong finishing power with consecutive birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. She powered through with an average drive of 287 yards and 25 putts during the round. She is three strokes behind the leader, brightening prospects for a top finish in her first major tournament appearance.

Last year, she won four times on the Korean LPGA Tour and finished second in both prize money and points for the Player of the Year. She ranked tied 17th in the LPGA Qualifying (Q) Series last December and debuted on the LPGA Tour this year. She has played in three tournaments this season, with her best individual result being a tie for 27th at the Pure Silk Championship.

Coughlin is ranked 94th in the world. She debuted in 2018 and has yet to win a tournament. Korda recorded six birdies and two bogeys. She has shown peak form by winning all four recent tournaments she entered. From Korea, Shin Ji-eun is tied for 10th (2-under-par 70), Shin Ji-ae is tied for 31st (even par 72), and Bang Shin-sil is tied for 68th (2-over-par 74). Ko Jin-young is tied for 101st (4-over-par 76), and Yoo So-yeon, who chose this tournament as her retirement stage, is tied for 115th (5-over-par 77). Defending champion Lilia Vu (USA) withdrew after experiencing back pain during practice.