Overseas Player Kim Hyoju Leads the Pack "Aiming for Domestic Major Victory GO"

Season's First Major Chris F&C KLPGA Championship Day 1: 7 Under Par, Kim Heeji 2nd, Kim Suji and Park Hyejun Tied 3rd

Kim Hyo-joo cheers after making a birdie on the first hole of the first day of the 2022 season's first major, the Chris F&C KLPGA Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Pocheon=Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Overseas player Kim Hyo-joo (27, Lotte) is in high spirits.

On the 28th, at Ildong Lake Golf Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,689 yards), she shot 7 under par on the first day of the 2022 season's first major of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, the Chris F&C KLPGA Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion won), taking the top spot on the leaderboard. Kim Hee-ji (21, BC Card) is in second place with 6 under par, Kim Su-ji (26, Dongbu Construction) and Park Hye-jun (19, Hana Financial Group) are tied for third with 5 under par, and Kim A-rim (27, SBI Savings Bank) and Lee Ye-won (19, KB Financial Group) are tied for fifth with 4 under par.

Kim Hyo-joo swept up 7 birdies without any bogeys. After reducing 2 strokes with birdies on holes 1 and 6, she made 4 consecutive birdies from holes 11 to 14 and another birdie on hole 18 (par 3). Leading by one stroke, this marks her 15th career win (including 1 as an amateur) after 7 months since winning the OK Savings Bank Park Seri Invitational in September last year. Kim Hyo-joo has been a ‘monster’ dominating the professional stage since her amateur days. In September 2014, while still a non-member, she secured a ticket to the U.S. by winning the Evian Championship.

The following year, she joined the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour and earned a total of 5 wins. After winning the Founders Cup in 2015 and the Bahamas Classic in 2016, she experienced a slump. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she won 2 titles on the domestic stage and became a ‘five-time champion,’ and last year she participated in 4 tournaments, winning 2. On the 17th, after collecting her first LPGA Tour win of the season at the Lotte Championship, she immediately returned home to pursue major titles.

Over the past two years, she has accumulated an impressive 4 wins in 17 KLPGA Tour events. She is clearly benefiting from increased driving distance during the off-season. On this day, her older sister served as her caddie, playing a supportive role. Kim Hyo-joo said, "I’m satisfied to have played ‘no bogey’ for the first time in a while," and cheered, "Golf is so much fun in Korea." She added, "I think the reduced pressure is helping me achieve good results," and said, "I will finish well over the remaining three days and aim for the championship."

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