Ko Jin-young Wins First Qualifier Match "Fresh Start"... Park In-bi and Kim Se-young Draw

Bank of Hope Match Play Day 1: Galvis '4-Hole Victory', Park Sung-hyun, Ji Eun-hee, and Yoo So-yeon Also Claim Wins

Ko Jin-young is reading the putting line on the first hole of the Bank of Hope Match Play on the first day. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] World No. 1 Ko Jin-young (26) made a fresh start toward becoming the ‘Match Queen.’

On the 27th (Korean time), at the Shadow Creek Golf Course (par 72, 6,804 yards) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Ko Jin-young crushed Natalie Gulbis (USA), who entered as a sponsor invitee, by 4 holes on the first day of the group stage of the LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play (total prize money $1.5 million). A total of 64 players participated, divided into 16 groups like the World Cup in soccer, with the top player from each group advancing to the round of 16, followed by one-on-one matches to determine the champion.

Ko Jin-young gave up the first hole with a bogey on the 1st hole (par 4) but changed the momentum by winning three consecutive holes from the 3rd to the 5th. After losing the 8th hole (par 3) to Gulbis, she recovered with a birdie on the 12th hole (par 4) and secured the win early by taking the 15th and 16th holes. Ko Jin-young has held the top spot for 1 year and 10 months since July 2019. She was Rookie of the Year in 2018 and became a quadruple crown winner in 2019 by sweeping four wins, including two majors.

Last year, due to COVID-19, she returned to the LPGA stage late in November and, despite playing only four tournaments?including runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Open and winning the final CME Group Tour Championship?she achieved her second consecutive money title. This year, she has entered the top 5 three times in six tournaments. Although it was about four weeks since her last competition at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore on the 2nd, she demonstrated outstanding performance. A win is necessary to maintain her world No. 1 ranking.

Park Sung-hyun (28) defeated Oh Su-hyun (Australia) by 3 holes. The match was tight with a 1-hole difference over 14 holes, but Park won the 15th and 17th holes. She is currently showing signs of a slump, having missed the cut five times in eight tournaments. Her best result this season is a tie for 34th at the LPGA Drive On Championship in March. In a match between Korean players, the ‘eldest sister’ Ji Eun-hee (35, Hanwha Q CELLS) defeated Lee Mi-rim (31, NH Investment & Securities) by 4 holes.

Park In-bee is teeing off on the 2nd hole on the first day of the Bank of Hope Match Play. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

In the same group, Yoo So-yeon (31, Mediheal) edged out Ryan O'Toole (USA) by 3 holes. ‘Golf queen’ Park In-bee (33, KB Financial Group), who suffered a bereavement two days ago, drew with Jennifer Chang (USA). Trailing by 1 hole over 17 holes, Park secured a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 4) to force a tie. No. 3 Kim Se-young (28, Mediheal) and Lee Jeong-eun 6 (25, Daebang Construction) also drew, while ‘HSBC Women’s Champ’ Kim Hyo-joo (26, Lotte) suffered a loss.

‘ANA Inspiration Champ’ Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand) tied with Sarah Kemp (Australia). ‘Honda Thailand Champ’ Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) also drew with Lauren Stephenson (USA). Danielle Kang and Stacy Lewis (both USA), Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand), and Hataoka Nasa (Japan) comfortably secured wins. On the other hand, Brooke Henderson (Canada), Carlota Ciganda (Spain), and Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) suffered losses.

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