Jieunhee's "Veteran Power"... "Have You Seen 9 Under Par?"

On the First Day of Lotte Cantata Women's Open, Han Jin-sun Shares Lead, 'Number 1' Ko Jin-young Stumbles at 2 Under Par

Ji Eun-hee is examining the putting line on the first hole on the first day of the Lotte Cantata Women's Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Jeju=Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] Overseas player Ji Eun-hee (34, Hanwha Q CELLS) is on a winning streak.

On the first day of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Cantata Women's Open (total prize money 600 million KRW) held on the 4th at Lotte Skyhill Golf Club Sky & Ocean Course (par 72, 6,373 yards) in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, she surged with a 9-under-par round to instantly take the top spot on the leaderboard. This is her first chance to win a KLPGA Tour event in a full 13 years since the KB Star Tour 2nd round in May 2007. Hanjin-seon (23) is tied for first place, and Oh Ji-hyun (24, KB Financial Group) is chasing in a tie for third place at 7-under-par.

Ji Eun-hee debuted on the US LPGA Tour in 2007 and won her first title at the Wegmans LPGA the following year. In 2009, she became a major champion by winning the US Women's Open. After a slump following swing corrections in 2010, she changed the momentum by winning the Taiwan Championship in 2017. She topped the Kia Classic in 2018 and also demonstrated her 'veteran power' by winning the Diamond Resort Tournament in January last year.

It is interesting that she had only participated once in a domestic tournament, the Hanwha Classic hosted by her agency. This time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing the LPGA Tour shutdown, she entered as an invited player. Her perfect play stood out with nine birdies on the day. She started strong with three consecutive birdies from holes 2 to 4, followed by back-to-back birdies on holes 6 and 7, 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 9 and 11, and added birdies at the final holes 14 (par 3) and 18 (par 5).

Ji Eun-hee also exclaimed, "After the first hole today, everything went smoothly, and I didn't have any difficult putts." She added with confidence, "Because the LPGA Tour was indefinitely postponed due to COVID-19, I had the leisure to perfect my swing. Previously, I had a fade shot which made it difficult when the pin was on the left, but now I can also execute a draw shot, making course strategy much easier."

The 'two-win competition' among Lee So-young (23, Lotte), Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land & Housing Corporation), and Lee Da-yeon (23, Mediheal) is ongoing. All three are tied for 24th place at 4-under-par, looking forward to the second round. Lee So-young, in particular, is excited after securing her first win of the season and her fifth career victory at the E1 Charity Open that ended on the 31st, leading in prize money (253.7 million KRW), points for the Player of the Year (134 points), and scoring average (68.64 strokes). World No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25) remained tied for 52nd place at 2-under-par.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.