Se-young Kim and So-yeon Yu "Fresh Start with 3 Under Par"... Allison Lee Leads with 5 Under Par

On the First Day of Dio Implant LA Open, Tied 5th at 2 Strokes Behind; Hataoka Tied 2nd at 4 Under Par; Ko Jin-young and Choi Hye-jin at Even Par

Kim Se-young is teeing off at the 17th hole on the first day of the Dio Implant LA Open. Los Angeles, USA ? Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] World No. 10 Kim Se-young (29, Mirae Asset) has made a smooth start.

On the 22nd (Korean time), at the Wilshire Golf Course in Los Angeles, California, USA (par 71, 6,447 yards), the first day of the LPGA Tour DIO Implant LA Open (total prize money $1.5 million) saw her shoot 3-under par. As of 10:30 a.m., she is tied for 5th place along with Yoo So-yeon (32, Mediheal). Allison Lee (USA) leads with 5-under par 66, while Nasa Hataoka (Japan) and Emily Pedersen (Denmark) are tied for 2nd place at 4-under par 67.

Kim Se-young recorded six birdies and three bogeys. On 12 holes, she exchanged three birdies for three bogeys, making it difficult to lower her score. However, after a birdie on the 4th hole (par 3), she showed resilience with consecutive birdies on the 8th and 9th holes. Her long drives averaged 266 yards, with an 86% fairway hit rate and 27 putts standing out. However, her green in regulation rate was a disappointing 67%. She is two strokes behind the leader and has a chance for her 13th career win, her first in 1 year and 5 months since the 2020 Pelican Women’s Championship.

Kim Se-young, who debuted in 2015, is a strong player with 12 career wins including one major title. However, since last year, she has suffered misfortune, finishing as runner-up twice without a win. The 2019 runner-up of this tournament, Kim Se-young, said, "It was tough because the wind picked up in the back nine," but added, "I’m glad I finished well." She also said, "There are many Korean residents and Korean restaurants here, so it really feels like being in Korea," and "I will enjoy the remaining rounds while receiving good energy."

Allison Lee dominated the leaderboard with five birdies. Although she debuted in 2015, she has yet to win a tournament. In Korea, Yoo So-yeon joined the competition for the win after a long time by making four birdies and one bogey. No. 1 Ko Jin-young (27) exchanged two birdies for two bogeys and could not lower her score. She is tied for 40th place (even par 71) along with rookie Choi Hye-jin (23, Lotte). Golf legend Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group) is tied for 47th place (1-over par 72).

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