Im Hyang "8 Under Par Spurt~"... Park Sung-hyun 1 Over Par

ShopRite Classic Day 1: Stevenson Tied for Lead, Hataoka 1 Stroke Behind in 3rd, Shin Ji-eun 6th

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Eight birdies alone."

Im Mi-hyang (27, Volvik, photo) made an early surge. On the 2nd (Korean time) at the ShopRite Classic, an LPGA Tour event held at the Seaview Bay Course in Galloway, New Jersey, USA (par 71, 6,217 yards), she shot 8-under par on the first day to take a share of the lead. She opened the scoring early with consecutive birdies on holes 3 and 4, followed by a birdie on the 7th hole (par 3), then gained momentum with three consecutive birdies on holes 10 to 12 in the back nine. She finished strongly with back-to-back birdies on holes 17 and 18.

Im Mi-hyang won twice before: at the Mizuno Classic in November 2014 and the Scottish Women's Open in July 2017. She is now aiming for her third victory after 3 years and 3 months. Her accuracy stood out with only one missed fairway and two missed greens, complemented by 26 precise putts. "The course was slightly damp, but applying the preferred lies helped," she said, adding, "I will do my best until the end," showing her fighting spirit.

Lauren Stephenson (USA) joined the co-lead, while Ryan O'Toole (USA) and Hataoka Nasa (Japan) are chasing at one stroke behind, tied for third place at 7-under par 64. Defending champion Lexi Thompson (USA) is tied for 12th at 4-under par. From Korea, Shin Ji-eun (28) is tied for 6th at 5-under par, and Park Hee-young (33) is tied for 12th. Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group) is tied for 22nd at 3-under par, Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset) is tied for 41st at 2-under par, and Park Sung-hyun (27) is tied for 82nd at 1-over par.

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