Park Gyeol, Tied 6th by 1 Stroke "Seed Defense GO"... Lee Somi and 5 Others Tied for Lead

S-OIL Championship First Day 5-Under Par Surge, Im Heejeong and Lee Soyoung Tied 14th, Park Minji Tied 33rd

Park Gyeol is teeing off at the 3rd hole on the first day of the S-OIL Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the strength of Park Gyeol (25, Samil Pharmaceutical).

On the 5th, at the Elysian Golf Club in Jeju City, Jeju Island (par 72, 6,653 yards), the first day of the KLPGA Tour S-OIL Championship (total prize money 700 million KRW), she posted 5 under par and stood tied for 6th place. Five players, including two-time champion Lee So-mi (22, SBI Savings Bank), Han Jin-seon (24, Kakao VX), Kang Ye-rin (27, Pepper Savings Bank), Kim Su-ji (25, Dongbu Construction), and Kim Yu-bin (23, Hana Financial Group), are fiercely competing at the top of the leaderboard, tied for first place at 6 under par 66.

Park Gyeol swept up 6 birdies (1 bogey). She reduced 4 strokes in the front nine with three consecutive birdies from holes 10 to 12 and a birdie on the 17th hole (par 4). In the back nine, after a brief pause with a bogey on the 4th hole (par 4), she showed strong finishing power with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 6th and 8th holes. She is just one stroke behind the joint leaders, a position from which a comeback victory is definitely possible. Park Gyeol is currently 69th in the prize money rankings (95.9 million KRW), facing the risk of losing her tour card. She is 20.6 million KRW behind Lee Ki-ppeum (27, Cham Joeun Travel, 116.5 million KRW), who is 60th, the cutoff line for staying in the first division.

"From the start, my shots and putts were generally good, so I made consecutive birdies," said Park Gyeol. "Several long putts of 6 to 7 meters went in," she added. "The back nine was a bit disappointing, but I think I was able to finish with a good result." Since turning pro in 2015, this is the first time she might lose her tour card. "I think if I dwell on this too much, my play gets worse," she said. "Since I have memories of winning in Jeju, I believe everything will go well," she added.

Park Min-ji is reading the putting line on the 4th hole on the first day of the S-OIL Championship. Photo by KLPGA

Lee So-mi took over the top of the leaderboard with flawless play, making 6 birdies without any bogeys. This is her third win of the season, three months after the Daewoo Winia·MBN Women's Open in August. Im Hee-jung (21, Korea Land & Housing Corporation), who is second in prize money, and Lee So-young (24, Lotte) are tied for 14th place (3 under par 69). On the other hand, six-time champion Park Min-ji (23, NH Investment & Securities) is tied for 33rd place (1 under par 71), and defending champion Choi Hye-jin (22, Lotte) is tied for 48th place (even par 72).

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