'Thailand Powerhouse' Yang Hee-young "Tied 11th, 3 Strokes Behind"... Hataoka and Oh Su-hyun Share Lead

Honda LPGA Thailand Day 1: Lee Jeong-eun 6 Tied 11th, Kim A-lim Tied 17th, Defending Champ Jutanugarn Tied 63rd

Yang Hee-young

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Yang Hee-young (33, Woori Financial Group) has made a fresh start.

On the 10th (Korean time), at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course (par 72, 6,576 yards) in Chonburi, Thailand, the opening day of the 5th event of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, the Honda LPGA Thailand (total prize money $1.6 million), Yang shot 6-under par to tie for 11th place. Nasa Hataoka (Japan), Su-Hyun Oh (Australia), and Esther Henseleit (Germany) share the lead at 9-under par 63, while Lin Xiyu (China) is chasing closely in 4th place at 8-under par 64, just one stroke behind.

Yang Hee-young made seven birdies and one bogey. After birdies on the 4th and 7th holes, she took a brief breather with a bogey on the 9th hole (par 4). She then made a birdie on the 10th hole (par 5), consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes, and finished the round pleasantly with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 15th and 17th holes. Yang Hee-young is a symbol of consistency, having won four times over 15 years on the LPGA Tour, demonstrating top-level skills. Most notably, she has collected three championship trophies at this tournament alone, which is delightful.

Nasa Hataoka is teeing off at the 11th hole on the first day of the Honda LPGA Thailand. Pattaya (Thailand) = Getty Images / Multibits

Her first victory came in 2015, followed by wins in 2017 and 2019. Last year, she also showed her strength by finishing tied for 3rd. She is determined to continue her upward momentum after tying for 6th at last week's HSBC Women's event. Hataoka displayed flawless play with nine birdies and no bogeys. She is a player with five career wins, including last year's Marathon Classic. Brooke Henderson (Canada) is tied for 5th at 7-under par 65, and Danielle Kang (USA) is tied for 11th.

Korea's Lee Jeong-eun6 (26, Daebang Construction) is tied for 11th, Kim A-lim (27, SBI Savings Bank) is tied for 17th at 5-under par 67, and Jeon In-ji (28, KB Financial Group) is tied for 23rd at 4-under par 68. Kim Hyo-joo (27, Lotte) and Yoo So-yeon (32, Mediheal) are tied for 34th at 3-under par 69. Home course 19-year-old Atthaya Thitikul is tied for 42nd at 2-under par 70, Patty Tavatanakit is tied for 50th at 1-under par 71, and defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn (all from Thailand) struggled, tied for 63rd at 2-over par 74.

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