Yoo Hae-ran Tied for 2nd by One Stroke... Alex Leads

Newly Established FM Championship 1R 3-Under Par
Noye-rim and Robin Choi, Yoshida Tied for 2nd
Ko Jin-young and Kim Se-young Tied for 17th, Yang Hee-young 30th

Yoo Hae-ran's march to victory continues.

Yoo Hae-ran is teeing off at the 18th hole of the first round of the FM Championship. [Norton, USA=AFP·Yonhap News] Photo by Norton

On the 29th (local time), at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts, USA (par 72, 6,598 yards), Yoo Hae-ran shot a 3-under-par 69 in the first round of the newly established FM Championship (total prize money $3.8 million) on the LPGA Tour, placing her in a tie for 2nd place. Marina Alex led with 4-under-par 68, while No Ye-rim (both from the USA), Robin Choi (Australia), and Yoshida Yuri (Japan) joined the group tied for 2nd.

Yoo recorded four birdies and one bogey. She reduced three strokes in the front nine with a birdie on the 10th hole (par 4) and consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes. In the back nine, she offset a bogey on the 5th hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 7th hole (par 5). Her long drives, reaching up to 338 yards, and 26 putts stood out. She trails the leader by one stroke and is aiming for her second career win since her first victory at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last October.

Korea's Ko Jin-young and Kim Sei-young finished the first round tied for 17th place (1-under-par 71), while Yang Hee-young ended tied for 30th (even par 72). This tournament saw the absence of top-ranked players who have been continuously competing in the Paris Olympics and major tournaments. World No. 1 Nelly Korda and No. 2 Lilia Vu (both from the USA), as well as World No. 3 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), who won both the Paris Olympics and the AIG Women's Open, chose to rest.