KG Ladies Open 1R 7-Under Par
1 Eagle, 5 Birdies Without Bogey
Prize Money and Most Wins Lead if Victorious
‘3-time champion’ Park Ji-young is on a roll.
Park Ji-young is teeing off at the 14th hole during the first round of the 13th KG Ladies Open. [Photo by KLPGA]
On the 30th, at the 13th KG Ladies Open (total prize money 800 million KRW) held at Turning Point CC in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,748 yards), she shot a 7-under 65 in the first round, taking the top spot on the leaderboard.
She recorded one eagle and five birdies without a single bogey. She got off to a great start with a shot eagle on the 10th hole (par 4). After maintaining par on eight holes, she improved her position with birdies on the 1st and 4th holes, then jumped into the title race with three consecutive birdies from the 6th to 8th holes. This marks her fourth win of the season following victories at the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship in April, the Kyochon Ladies Open in May, and last week's major Hanwha Classic. If she wins this tournament as well, she will achieve back-to-back victories and her 11th career win.
After undergoing an appendectomy in May and taking about a month off, Park Ji-young said, "I got a shot eagle on the first hole, and that good energy carried over to a satisfying score." She added, "After the appendectomy, my driving distance actually increased by about 15 yards through training." She expressed her determination, saying, "I am confident that a fourth win this season is possible, so I will play aggressively in the remaining rounds."
Park Ji-young currently ranks second in both prize money (956.1 million KRW) and points for the Player of the Year (374 points). If she claims the top spot in this tournament, she will surpass 1 billion KRW in season earnings and become number one in both wins and prize money.
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