Kang Hyeji "Surprising Lead with 8 Under Par"... Lee Jeongeun6 at 4 Under Par

On Big Open First Day, Saxstrom Ties for Lead, Choi Hye-jin at 3 Under Par 28th, Park In-bi at 2 Under Par 41st

Kang Hye-ji is hitting an iron shot on the 18th hole on the first day of the Big Open. Geelong (Australia) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is Kang Hye-ji's (30) 'surprise lead.'

On the 6th (Korean time), at the Creek Course (par 73, 6,307 yards) of the Thirteenth Beach Golf Links in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, the first day of the LPGA Tour ISPS Handa Vic Open (total prize money $1.1 million) kicked off, and she surged to the top of the leaderboard with an 8-under-par. Madelene Saxstr?m joined her in a tie for first place, while Linn?a Stenfeldt (both from Sweden) and Hailey Moore (USA) are in a tie for third place (7-under-par), chasing closely behind.

This event is jointly hosted by the Ladies European Tour (LET), Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPGA) Tour, European Professional Golf Association (EPGA) Tour, and Australian Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour. It is a unique format where men and women compete on the same course for the same prize money. The first and second rounds are played on the Creek Course and the Beach Course (par 72, 6,276 yards), and the third and fourth rounds are held again on the Beach Course. Kang Hye-ji showcased flawless play, racking up eight birdies.

She made two pairs of consecutive birdies on holes 1-2 and 6-7 in the front nine, and added four consecutive birdies on holes 13-16 in the back nine to take the joint lead. She powered her game with precise shots, missing the fairway only twice and the green just once. Her putting count per round was also good at 27. Kang Hye-ji is a 12-year veteran who debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2009. She has entered the top 10 a total of 14 times, including a tie for third at the 2018 Scottish Women's Open.

Last year, she dropped to 104th in the money rankings ($116,843), losing her tour card, but she revived her career by finishing 4th in the LPGA Qualifying (Q) Series. Kang said, "The score came out well because there was no wind," adding, "Especially my putting was good, so I had a smooth round," and expressed confidence, saying, "If I play like today, I think I can get good results." Saxstr?m is aiming for her second consecutive win following the Gainbridge LPGA on the 27th of last month.

From Korea, Park Hee-young (33) is looking to climb the ranks from a tie for 15th place at 5-under-par. Rookie of the Year on the LPGA Tour, Lee Jeong-eun6 (24), started steadily with four birdies on the Beach Course, tied for 22nd. Domestic number one Choi Hye-jin (21) is tied for 28th at 3-under-par, Park In-bee (32), Lim Hee-jeong (20), Choi Na-yeon (33), and Lee Jeong-eun5 (32) are tied for 41st at 2-under-par, and Yoo So-yeon (30) is tied for 61st at 1-under-par. Defending champion C?line Boutier (France) remained tied for 80th at even par.

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