Jeon In-ji's 5-under-par 'Victory March'... Park Sung-hyun and Kim Se-young at 3-under-par

Major ANA Day 1: Tied 2nd at 1 Stroke Behind, Korda Leads, Park Sung-hyun Tied 9th, Park In-bi Starts at 1 Over Par

Jeon In-ji is teeing off at the 13th hole on the first day of her second major, the ANA Inspiration. Rancho Mirage, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] 'Dumbo' Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group) makes a comeback shot.

On the 11th (Korean time) at Mission Hills Golf Club in Rancho Mirage, California, USA (par 72, 6,799 yards), the second major of the LPGA Tour, the ANA Inspiration (total prize money $3.1 million), Jeon shot 5 under par on the first day to tie for 2nd place with Madelene Saxstrom (Sweden). Nelly Korda leads (6 under par 66), while '2-time champ' Danielle Kang (both USA) and Brooke Henderson (Canada) are tied for 4th place (4 under par 68), chasing the lead.

Jeon In-ji collected 6 birdies (1 bogey). She made her first birdie on the 2nd hole (par 5), and with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 6th and 8th holes, she reduced 3 strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, she created momentum with consecutive birdies on the 10th and 11th holes and another birdie on the 16th hole (par 4). The only blemish was a '3-putt' bogey on the 17th hole (par 3). Her fairway hit rate was 86%, greens in regulation 78%, and she recorded 27 putts for the round. Tied for 2nd place, just one stroke behind the leader, she is aiming for her 4th LPGA Tour win in two years.

Jeon In-ji is the original 'Major Queen' who conquered majors in Korea, Japan, and the USA. She won her first career title at the 2013 Korea Women's Open, achieved the youngest-ever victory (20 years and 273 days old) at the 2015 Salonpas Cup on the Japan LPGA Tour, and won the US Women's Open the same year as a non-member. She debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2016, capturing the Evian Championship major and earning Rookie of the Year and lowest scoring average honors that year.

However, it is unfortunate that she has not won since the KEB Hana Bank Championship in October 2018. This year, with the season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been adjusting her weight and steadily refining her shots, working hard to make a comeback. She has shown an upward trend, finishing tied for 7th in two consecutive tournaments last month?the Scottish Women's Open and the major AIG Women's Open. Two weeks ago, she finished tied for 21st at the Marathon Classic.

Park Sung-hyun is hitting an iron shot on the 2nd hole on the first day of the ANA Inspiration. Rancho Mirage, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

Park Sung-hyun (27), who returned to the field after 10 months since withdrawing due to injury at the CME Group Tour Championship last November, recorded 4 birdies and 1 bogey. She started comfortably tied for 9th place (3 under par 69) along with Kim Sei-young (27, Mirae Asset), Lee Mi-hyang (27, Volvik), two-time champion Brittany Lincicome (USA, 2009 and 2015), Lydia Ko (New Zealand), and others. Lee Mi-rim (30, NH Investment & Securities) is tied for 19th (2 under par 70), and Park In-bi (32, KB Financial Group) is tied for 57th (1 over par 73).

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