Ko Jin-young Even-Par Start 'Tied 10th, 3 Strokes Back'... Hull Leads

Volunteers of America Classic First Day Strong Performance in Severe Cold, Corda Tied 2nd, Park In-bi, Yoo So-yeon, and Park Sung-hyun Tied 18th at 1 Over Par

Ko Jin-young is teeing off at the 2nd hole on the first day of the Volunteers of America Classic. The Colony, Texas, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] 'Number 1' Ko Jin-young (25) had a steady start.

On the 4th (Korean time), at the Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, USA (par 71, 6,475 yards), the first day of the LPGA Tour Volunteers of America Classic (total prize money $1.75 million) kicked off. Despite the strong cold wind, she scored an even par and stood tied for 10th place. Charlie Hull (England) led with 3-under par, while Jessica Korda, Jennifer Kupcho (both USA), and Phannapast Petlam (Thailand) were tied for 2nd place at 2-under par.

Ko Jin-young exchanged three birdies for three bogeys. After a bogey on the 1st hole, she lost another stroke on the 9th hole (both par 4), struggling to reduce her score in the front nine. However, she showed resilience by making three consecutive birdies from the 15th to the 17th holes. Unfortunately, she made a bogey on the final 18th hole (par 4), which was regrettable. She relied on accurate tee shots, missing the fairway only twice. She is three strokes behind the leader, in a position to aim for her first win of the season and her seventh career victory.

This year, amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Ko Jin-young stayed in Korea and competed in the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour. She played in six tournaments, finishing in the top 10 four times, including a runner-up finish at the KB Financial Group Championship. She played her first U.S. event last month on the 19th at the Pelican Women's Championship, finishing tied for 34th in her return after a year. She used the week without a tournament last week to check her shots and putting.

While Ko Jin-young was absent, 'two-time champion' Kim Sei-young (27, Mirae Asset) has been fiercely chasing her. The difference in world ranking points between the two players is only 0.41 points. It is a crisis where Ko could lose her top spot, which she has held for one year and five months since July last year. She plans to defend her world No. 1 ranking with a win at this tournament and make a spectacular entry at next week's major, the U.S. Women's Open. She also needs a good result to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

She must raise her CME points ranking to 70th or better; currently, she is 141st. Hull dominated the leaderboard with six birdies and three bogeys. Her powerful long drives averaged 258 yards, and her 'stingy putting' with only 26 putts in the round was outstanding. She is a player who won the CME Group Tour Championship in 2016. Xiyu Lin, Brittany Lang (both USA), and Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) are tied for 5th place at 1-under par 70.

Lee Jeong-eun 6 is wearing Banghan-yong earplugs on the first hole of the Volunteers of America Classic first day. The Colony, Texas, USA = Getty Images / Multi-Vits

In Korea, Hur Mi-jung (31, Daebang Construction) rose to a tie for 10th place. Yoo So-yeon (30), appearing for the first time in 10 months, started tied for 18th at 1-over par. 'Golf queen' Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group), Park Sung-hyun (27), and Choi Woon-jung (Volvik) also joined this group. Lee Jeong-eun 6 (24, Daebang Construction) and Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group) were tied for 31st at 2-over par, while Lee Mi-rim (30, NH Investment & Securities) was tied for 58th at 4-over par after 16 holes. Sixteen players did not finish their rounds.

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