Jang Hana's Finishing Power: "I'm Stronger in the Second Half"... What About 'Number 1' Ko Jin-young?

Hana Financial Group Championship Day 1: Ko Jin-young Tied for Lead at 4 Under, Choi Hye-jin Tied 3rd One Stroke Behind, Kim Hyo-joo Tied 27th

Jang Hana is hitting an iron shot on the 4th hole on the first day of the Hana Financial Group Championship. Photo by Hana Financial Group Championship

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Jang Hana (28, BC Card) is strong in the latter half of the year.

Out of her total 13 wins on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, she has won an impressive 7 times between September and November. Last October, she swept 2 victories at the Hana Financial Group Championship and the BMW Ladies Championship, and last week at the SK Networks-Seoul Economic Ladies Classic held at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, she secured a 2-stroke victory. Known as the "Autumn Queen," she shows formidable stamina, saying, "I gain strength as the heat fades and the cold wind blows."

She also demonstrated her power on the first day of the Hana Financial Group Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion KRW), which kicked off on the 5th at Sky72 Golf Club Ocean Course (par 72, 6,474 yards) in Yeongjongdo, Incheon. She shared the top of the leaderboard with world No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25), who played alongside her, by making 5 birdies and 1 bogey. Although she started shakily with a bogey on the 4th hole (par 4), she changed the momentum with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 5th and 7th holes, then showed her strength with 3 consecutive birdies from the 16th to 18th holes.

Leading the pack by 1 stroke in a tie for first place, she has a great chance to achieve back-to-back wins for the second consecutive week. Before this tournament, Jang Hana had participated in 14 events and made it into the 'Top 10' eight times, showing great form. Currently ranked 7th in prize money (386.99 million KRW), if she adds the 300 million KRW winner's prize, she will close in on Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte), who is first in this category with 713.19 million KRW. She cheered, "It was a day when the game went smoothly. Today, there was no wind, so it wasn't very difficult."

Ko Jin-young is making an iron shot on the 4th hole on the first day of the Hana Financial Group Championship. Photo by Hana Financial Group Championship

Ko Jin-young, returning to competition after 3 weeks, recorded 6 birdies and 2 bogeys. She is on an upward trend after finishing 3rd at last month's Otek Carrier Championship and runner-up at the KB Financial Star Championship. "My shots were so good in the front nine that I thought I was going to make something happen," she said. "My wedge shots, which I practiced, went well, but my putting still seems a bit lacking." After this tournament, she plans to head to the United States for the US Women's Open, which will be held on the 10th of next month in Houston, Texas.

Choi Hye-jin (21, Lotte), the current 'Order of Merit leader,' is eyeing her first win of the season from a tie for 3rd place at 3-under-par. "My shot feel is good, so I will attack aggressively tomorrow," she said. Ji Han-sol (24, Dongbu Construction), Park Seo-jin (21, Yojin Construction), Ahn Na-rin (24, Moon Young Group), and Kim Woo-jung (22) are also in this group. Ahn Song-yi (30, KB Financial Group) is tied for 8th at 2-under-par, Yoo So-yeon (30, Mediheal) is tied for 17th at even par, and Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte), who leads in both prize money and scoring average, is tied for 27th at 1-over-par.

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