'Number 1' Ko Jin-young's Thorny Path "Tied 86th"... Nelly Leads

3 Over Par on Day One of Drive On Championship, Jessica, Lee Jeong-eun 6, and Hur Mi-jung Tied for 6th, Jeon In-ji Tied for 16th

Ko Jin-young is teeing off on the 3rd hole on the first day of the Drive On Championship. Okala, Florida, USA = Getty Images / Multibits
Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a thorny path for world No. 1 Ko Jin-young (26).

On the 5th (Korean time) at the Golden Ocala Golf Club in Ocala, Florida, USA (par 72, 6,852 yards), Ko Jin-young struggled with a 3-over-par on the first day of the third event of the 2021 LPGA Tour season, the Drive On Championship (total prize money $1.5 million), finishing tied for 86th place. ‘Number 3’ Nelly Korda, Austin Ernst, and Jennifer Kupcho share the lead (5-under-par 67), while Jaye Marie Green (all from the USA) and Yan Jing (China) are tied for 4th place (4-under-par 68).

Ko Jin-young made 3 birdies but gave away 6 bogeys. After a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4), she faltered with consecutive bogeys on the 2nd and 3rd holes, but recovered with birdies on the 5th and 8th holes to finish the front nine at 1-under-par. However, on the back nine, she made consecutive bogeys on the 10th-11th and 16th-17th holes. This was her first over-par score in 13 rounds since the first round of the US Women’s Open last December, where she shot 2-over-par. Her tee shots were solid, with an average driving distance of 250 yards and a fairway hit rate of 85.71%.

However, her greens in regulation dropped to 61.11%, and her total putts soared to 31. She was 8 strokes behind the co-leaders. The immediate task is to rally in the second round to advance to the final rounds. Ko Jin-young debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2018 and has accumulated 7 wins including 2 majors. She won Rookie of the Year in her first year, and in 2019, she swept 4 wins along with Player of the Year, the Annika Major Award, the Vare Trophy, and the money title.

Last year, due to COVID-19, she stayed in Korea but returned to the LPGA Tour late in November. Despite playing only 4 tournaments including a runner-up finish at the US Women’s Open and a victory at the CME Group Tour Championship, she secured her second consecutive money title. This year, she came to the US early and warmed up at the Gainbridge LPGA last week. She showed stable play over four days, finishing 4th and showing potential for a win, but struggled today due to erratic iron shots.

Jessica (left) and Nelly Korda sisters are playing together on the first day of the Drive On Championship. Ocala, Florida, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

Nelly, who played alongside Ko Jin-young, made 5 birdies without any bogeys, dominating the top of the leaderboard. This is a great opportunity for her to win two consecutive tournaments following her Gainbridge LPGA victory. Jessica Korda (USA), the winner of the opening Diamond Resorts Tournament, also recorded 6 birdies, 1 bogey, and 1 double bogey to tie for 6th place (3-under-par 69). If the Korda sisters win this tournament, they will set a historic record as the first sisters to win three consecutive tournaments.

Korea’s Lee Jeong-eun6 (25) and Hur Mi-jung (32, both from Daebang Construction) are watching for opportunities tied for 6th place. Jeon Ji-in (27, KB Financial Group), riding a rising trend with two consecutive ‘Top 10’ finishes, is tied for 16th place (2-under-par 70), while ‘Number 2’ Kim Se-young (28, Mirae Asset) is tied for 41st place (even par 72). Park Sung-hyun (28) lost a stroke with 1 birdie and 2 bogeys, tied for 53rd place along with Park Hee-young (34, Isu Group), Jeon Ji-won (24, KB Financial Group), and Kang Hye-ji (31).

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