"Trendsetter" Park Minji "Smooth Start with 3-Under Par"... Lee Seungyeon and Park Jiyoung Share Lead at 7-Under Par

Evo Collagen Queens Crown Day 1: Tied 24th at 4 Strokes Back, An Song-i 3rd, Jang Ha-na 14th, Park Hyun-kyung 69th

Park Min-ji is reading the putting line on the 12th hole on the first day of the Evo Collagen Queens Crown. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] The rising star Park Min-ji (23, NH Investment & Securities) had a smooth start.

On the 15th, at Lakewood Golf Course in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,539 yards), the first day of the KLPGA Tour Evo Collagen Queens Crown (total prize money 800 million KRW), she shot 3 under par and stood tied for 24th place. Lee Seung-yeon (23, SK Networks) and Park Ji-young (25, Korea Land & Trust) shared the lead (7 under par 65), An Song-yi (31, KB Financial Group) was 3rd (6 under par 66), and Kwak Bo-mi (29, High1 Resort) were among those tied for 4th place (5 under par 67).

Park Min-ji made 4 birdies (1 bogey). Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), she made a bogey at the 12th hole (par 3), resulting in 1 over par in the front nine. However, she changed the momentum with a birdie at the 1st hole (par 5) and showed strong finishing power with three consecutive birdies from the 5th to 7th holes. She is 4 strokes behind the joint leaders and is laying the foundation for her 7th win of the season with a second consecutive victory following last week's Daebo House Open win. Park Min-ji has won 6 times in 11 tournaments this year, ranking first in wins, prize money, Player of the Year, and average score.

If she adds 4 more wins, she will break Shin Ji-ae's (33) record for most wins in a season (9 wins) set in 2007. Park said, "My shots were not bad, but my mind kept wandering when putting," adding, "The nightmare of being cut at the McCol Monapark Open came to mind," and "I really wanted to avoid missing the cut." She continued, "If I can just make the cut somehow, the chance to win will come," and expressed her determination, "I will try to lower my score as much as possible tomorrow."

Jang Ha-na (29, BC Card), who is 2nd in Player of the Year and average score, reduced 4 strokes and is looking for an opportunity from tied 14th place. She won the 2015 YTN Volvik Ladies Open and the 2018 KLPGA Championship held on this course. Kim Hae-rim (32, Samchully) is tied for 24th, and Choi Hye-jin (22, Lotte) is tied for 43rd (2 under par 70). Park Hyun-kyung (21, Korea Land & Trust) is tied for 69th (1 under par 71), promising a rise to the top ranks. Due to bad weather, 48 players were unable to complete their rounds.

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