Ko Jin-young and Lee Jeong-eun6 "Fresh Start at 1 Under Par"... Reed and Kane 'Tied for Lead at 4 Under Par' (Summary)

US Women's Open Day 1: Henderson Tied 3rd, Park In-bee Tied 16th, Defending Champ Kim A-rim Tied 130th 'Struggles', Tied 9th Overall

Ko Jin-young is teeing off at the 13th hole on the first day of the US Women's Open. San Francisco, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Number 1’ Ko Jin-young (26) has made a fresh start.

On the 4th (Korean time), at The Olympic Golf Course in San Francisco, California, USA (par 71, 6,362 yards), the US Women's Open (total prize money $5.5 million), known as the 'National Title of America,' began its journey. Ko Jin-young scored 1-under par on the first day, placing her in a tie for 9th. Mel Reid (England) and amateur Mega Gane share the lead (4-under par 67), while Angel Yin and Megan Kang (both USA), and Brooke Henderson (Canada) are tied for 3rd place (3-under par 68).

Ko Jin-young recorded three birdies and two bogeys. Starting at the 10th hole, she made a bogey on the 11th hole but recovered with a birdie on the 12th hole, then reduced one stroke on the 18th hole (both par 4). In the back nine, after a bogey on the 3rd hole, she secured a birdie on the 8th hole (both par 3), promising a next round. She is three strokes behind the leader, aiming for her 7th career win and 3rd major title, following her victories at the 2019 ANA Inspiration and Evian Championship, six months after the final event of last December, the CME Group Tour Championship.

Ko Jin-young is the player who secured a ‘direct ticket to the US Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour’ by winning the KEB Hana Bank Championship held in Korea in 2017 as a non-member. The following February, she won the Australian Women's Open in her debut, a rare feat in 67 years, earning the Rookie of the Year award. In 2019, she won four titles including two majors, becoming a quadruple crown winner, and last year, despite playing only four events, she topped the money list, earning the ‘Money Queen’ title for two consecutive years.

She has held the world No. 1 ranking for nearly two years since July 2019. This year, she has played in seven tournaments, showing consistency with four top-10 finishes, although no wins yet. Her best result was a tie for 3rd at the LA Open in April, and she ranks 10th in season earnings ($395,761). Ko Jin-young said, "The green approach and pin positions were somewhat difficult," but added, "I am satisfied with the 1-under par score," and expressed hope for good weather for her afternoon tee time tomorrow.

Lee Jeong-eun 6 is making an iron shot at the 9th hole on the first day of the US Women's Open. San Francisco, California, USA - Getty Images / Multibits

2019 champion Lee Jeong-eun 6 (25, Daebang Construction) also reduced one stroke with four birdies and three bogeys, tying for 9th place. She said, "The weather was good, and I was able to keep the fairway a lot, so overall the game went well," adding, "The course is definitely challenging because the fairways and greens are narrow and the rough is difficult." Gane dominated the top of the leaderboard with six birdies and two bogeys but was disappointed to share the lead after a bogey on the final 18th hole (par 4).

Ariya Jutanugarn tied for 16th place (even par 71), and ‘ANA champ’ Patty Tavatanakit (both from Thailand) are tied for 69th place (4-over par 75). From Korea, Park In-bee (33, KB Financial Group) exchanged four birdies for four bogeys, tying for 16th place. Kim Hyo-joo (26, Lotte) is tied for 26th place (1-over par 72), while Kim Se-young (28) and Yoo So-yeon (31, both Mediheal) are tied for 54th place (3-over par 74). Defending champion Kim A-rim (26, SBI Savings Bank) struggled, tied for 130th place (8-over par 79).

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