Se-young Kim and So-yeon Yu "Fresh Start with 3-Under Par"... Alison Lee Leads with 5-Under Par (Summary)

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 Tied 30th 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. 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 Kristine 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 Pelican Women's Championship in November 2020.

Kim Se-young debuted in 2015 and is a strong player with 12 career wins, including one major. However, since last year, she has suffered misfortune, finishing as runner-up twice without a win. This year, her performance has been somewhat inconsistent. She has played in three tournaments, with her best result being tied for 17th at the first major of the 2022 season, the Chevron Championship. Last week, at the Mediheal-Korea Daily News Championship on the KLPGA Tour, a sponsor event, she experienced the humiliation of missing the cut.

Kim Se-young, the 2019 runner-up of this tournament, 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. She is riding the momentum of a tied 8th place finish at the Chevron Championship.

From Korea, Yoo So-yeon made four birdies (one bogey) and joined the competition for the win after a long time. No. 1 Ko Jin-young (27) exchanged two birdies for two bogeys and could not lower her score. She is tied for 30th place (even par 71) along with rookie Choi Hye-jin (23, Lotte). "Golf queen" Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group) and "top seed qualifier" An Na-rin (26, Mediheal) are tied for 48th place (1-over par 72). Defending champion Brooke Henderson (Canada) struggled, tied for 116th place (5-over par 76).

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