"Dumbo" Jeon In-ji's Comeback Shot... Charging with 7-Under Par Rally

Major Tune-Up: LA Championship 1st Round Leaders
A Birdie Show: 8 Birdies and 1 Bogey in a Brilliant Performance
Chasing Leader Buhai by 2 Shots in the Race for Victory

This is the revival shot of Jeon In-ji, the 'Flying Dumbo.'

On the 17th (local time), at the El Caballero Country Club (par 72, 6,679 yards) in Los Angeles, California, USA, Jeon In-ji scored 7-under-par 65 in the first round of the LPGA Tour JM Eagle LA Championship (total prize money $3.75 million). She made 8 birdies and 1 bogey. She is 2 strokes behind the leader Ashley Bohoai (South Africa), who is at 9-under-par 63.

Jeon In-ji is teeing off at the 11th hole of the first round of the JM Eagle LA Championship. Los Angeles=Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Jeon In-ji is the original 'Major Queen' who conquered majors in Korea, Japan, and the United States. She won her first career victory at the 2013 Korea Women's Open, and in 2015, she achieved the feat of becoming the youngest winner (20 years and 273 days old) in the Salonpas Cup on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour. In the same year, she won the U.S. Women's Open as a non-member. She debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2016 and captured the Evian Championship major, earning Rookie of the Year and leading the tour in scoring average that year.

Jeon In-ji has accumulated a total of 4 wins on the LPGA Tour, including 3 majors. Her last victory was at the 2022 major, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. After taking a break from the season due to back and shoulder injuries since May last year, she returned to the tour this year. She missed the cut at the Founders Cup in February and finished 72nd at the Ford Championship in March. In this tournament, her specialty, pinpoint iron shots, have revived, putting her back into the competition for the title.