"'Box Office Icon' Yoo Hyun-joo '4 Under Par'... 'This Time, With Skill~'"

Jeju Samdasoo Masters First Day 4 Birdies "Early Spur", Lee So-young Leads at 7 Under Par

Yoo Hyun-joo is taking her second shot on the 10th hole on the first day of the Jeju Samdasoo Masters. Photo by KLPGA

[Jeju=Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] 'Box office icon' Yoo Hyun-joo (26) is drawing attention this time with her skills.

On the first day of the KLPGA Tour Jeju Samdasoo Masters (total prize money 800 million won) held on the 30th at Saint Four Golf Resort in Jeju City, Jeju Island (par 72, 6,500 yards), she posted 4 under par and was tied for 5th place as of 5:30 pm. Lee So-young (23, Lotte) surged to the lead with 7 under par, followed by Cho Ah-yeon (20, Volvik) and Han Jin-sun (23, BC Card) tied for 2nd at 6 under par, and Bae Sun-woo (26, Samchully) in 4th place at 5 under par.

Yoo Hyun-joo played on the KLPGA Tour for two years starting in 2016 but lost her tour card, and last year she challenged the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour but failed. Fortunately, she earned a conditional card by finishing 35th in the November qualifying tournament. This year, she is enjoying explosive popularity surpassing world stars, especially with her tall height of 172 cm and glamorous appearance. It is unfortunate that her best result is tied for 51st at the KLPGA Championship in May. She was cut six times out of seven tournaments, which was frustrating.

However, on this day, starting at the 10th hole (par 5), she made four birdies. She opened the scoring with a birdie on the 15th hole (par 5), followed by consecutive birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes of the back nine, and added another birdie on the 6th hole (par 5). This is her second-best performance after shooting 6 under par on the second day of the KLPGA Championship. Yoo said, "During a broadcast event I participated in while resting, (Kim) Hyo-joo advised me on how to read putting lines," adding, "My putting seems to be going well," and vowed, "I will do my best until the end."

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