Ko Jin-young (28‧ Solaire), who first appeared on the LPGA Tour in 2023, cruised on the first day and raised hopes for victory.
In the first round of the Honda LPGA Thailand (total prize money: $1.7 million) held at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course (par 72) in Chonburi, Thailand on the 23rd (Korean time), Ko Jin-young tied 5 birdies and 1 bogey and hit 4 under par 68.
Ko Jin-young tied for 17th with world No. 1 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Nellie Koda (USA), and Anna Lynn (27‧ Mediheal). She was three strokes away from the group leading the tie with a 7-under-par 65.
Ko Jin-young, who struggled with a wrist injury after winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March last year, focused on treatment and rehabilitation during the winter.
In the first tournament of this year, Ko Jin-young maintained a stable game operation by making par saves in the first six holes in a row. Then, on the 7th hole (par 5), she caught her first birdie. In the second half, aggressive game management reduced the number of strokes.
After making consecutive birdies on the 10th hole (par 5) and 11th hole (par 4), Ko Jin-young also made a birdie on the 15th hole (par 4). She bogeyed on the 16th hole (par 3) but she caught her birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5) and she finished her first day at 4 under par. 바카라사이트
Among Korean players, Shin Ji-eun (31, Hanwha Q CELLS) performed the best. Shin Ji-eun recorded 6 birdies without a bogey and tied for 6th place with a 6 under par 66 strokes.
Kim Hyo-joo (28‧Lotte) tied for ninth with a 5-under-par 67 strokes.
Jeon In-ji (29, KB Financial Group), the last Korean player to win the championship, tied for 48th with a 1-under 71 stroke.
On the other hand, Nasa Hataoka (Japan), Siyu Lin (China), Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Jarabi Bunchant (Thailand), and Jennifer Cupcho (USA) rose to the joint lead.