LPGA Debut of Yoon Ina, Tee Shot Was Unsteady

Started Tied for 72nd with 1-Over Par in Founders Cup 1st Round
Average Drive Distance 267 Yards, Fairway Hit Rate 28.57%
Lim Jinhee in 3rd, Ko Jin-young 6th, Korda 12th

Yoo In-na started her debut in the U.S. Women's Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour with an over-par round.

Yoon Ina

On the 6th (local time), at the Founders Cup (total prize money $2 million) 1st round held at Bradenton Country Club (par 71, 6,465 yards) in Bradenton, Florida, USA, she made 3 birdies and 4 bogeys. Along with Kim Hyo-joo, Ji Eun-hee, and Jeon Ji-won, she is tied for 72nd place (1-over par 72 strokes).

Yoo In-na, who won the Player of the Year, money title, and had the lowest average score last year on the Korean Women's Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour, secured her LPGA Tour card by finishing 8th in the final stage of the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series. Her driving power was decent on this day as well, recording an average drive distance of 267 yards. However, her fairway hit rate was only 28.57%, making it difficult to create birdie opportunities. She also made as many as 32 putts.

Jennifer Kupcho (USA) and Nanna Maddison (Denmark) took the joint lead (6-under par 65 strokes). Lim Jin-hee is tied for 3rd place (5-under par 66 strokes), just one stroke behind, looking for a comeback. Ko Jin-young and Lee Jeong-eun 6, and Lee Mi-hyang, who have won 3 times in this tournament, are tied for 6th place (4-under par 67 strokes). Nelly Korda (USA) and Park Sung-hyun are tied for 12th place (3-under par 68 strokes), and Lexi Thompson (USA), Park Geum-kang, and Joo Soo-bin are tied for 22nd place (2-under par 69 strokes). Jeon In-ji is tied for 88th place (2-over par 73 strokes), and Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is tied for 97th place (3-over par 74 strokes).