‘Egg Golfer’ Kim Haerim's Excitement "4-Stroke Lead"... Im Jinhee and Hong Jiwon Tied for 2nd Place

Day 2 of Lotte Rent-a-Car Women's Open Opening Round: 4 Under Par, Jang Hana and Jeong Yoonji Tied for 4th, Defending Champion Lee Somi Tied for 11th

Kim Hae-rim is making a bunker shot on the 10th hole on the second day of the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women's Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the high spirits of "Egg Golfer" Kim Hae-rim (33, Samchully).

On the 8th, at Lotte Skyhill Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju Island (par 72, 6,395 yards), during the second day of the 2022 KLPGA Tour season opener, the Lotte Rent-a-Car Ladies Open (total prize money 700 million won), she shot 4 under par to maintain her lead (9 under par, 135 strokes). Im Jin-hee (24, Angang Construction) and Hong Ji-won (22, Yojin Construction Industry) are tied for 2nd place (5 under par, 139 strokes), and as many as seven players including Jang Ha-na (30, BC Card) are in a chase battle tied for 4th place (4 under par, 140 strokes).

Kim Hae-rim started with a 2-stroke lead and recorded 7 birdies and 3 bogeys. In the front nine, she gave up 3 bogeys and made 2 birdies, losing one stroke. However, in the back nine, she showed fierce stamina with three consecutive birdies from holes 2 to 4 and back-to-back birdies on holes 7 and 8, placing her at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day. She is running ahead with a 4-stroke lead, seizing the opportunity for her 8th KLPGA Tour win in nine months since winning the McCol·Monapark Open last July.

Kim Hae-rim is a player famous for her unique story with eggs. She ate 30 eggs daily for distance, and also set a great record of winning three consecutive titles from 2016 to 2018 at the Kyochon Honey Ladies Open, sponsored by one of Korea’s leading chicken companies. In KLPGA history, winning the same tournament three times in a row was last achieved by Kang Soo-yeon (46, retired) at the Hite Jinro Championship (2000?2002), 16 years ago. In 2017, she especially swept three wins including the major KB Financial Star Championship.

In July of the same year, she was invited to the Samantha Thavasa Ladies Tournament on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour and won. She then moved to Japan in 2018 to compete in both the Korean and Japanese tours but did not achieve good results. After going through a slump, she made a comeback by winning the McCol·Monapark Open last year. She has been reaping the benefits of correcting her swing to a torso swing during the off-season. She explained, "There were many difficulties in club selection due to the wind direction," adding, "I adapted well as time passed."

Im Jin-hee showed perfect play with 7 birdies and no bogeys. She cheered, "I hit my shots close to the pin," and "The weather was so good that I left myself with short distances." Jung Yoon-ji (22, NH Investment & Securities) also posted a daily best of 7 under par to leap to a tie for 4th place. Defending champion Lee So-mi (23, SBI Savings Bank) and "Mom Golfer" Ahn Sun-joo (35, National Beef) are tied for 11th place (3 under par, 141 strokes), and 2019 champion Cho Ah-yeon (22, Dongbu Construction) is tied for 38th place (1 over par, 145 strokes).

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