Overseas Player Kim Hyoju Leads the Race "Aiming for Domestic Major Win Too"… Park Hyunkyung at 1 Under Par Pursues 3 Consecutive Wins (Summary)

Season's First Major Chris F&C KLPGA Championship Day 1: 7 Under Par, Kim Heeji 6 Under Par, Kim Arim 4 Under Par, Park Minji 3 Under Par

Kim Hyo-joo is teeing off at the 1st hole on the first day of the Major 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), Kim surged with a 7-under-par on the first day of the 2022 season's first major of the Korea 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 Ah-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 in the front nine with birdies on holes 1 and 6, she showed her strength with 4 consecutive birdies from holes 11 to 14 and a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 3) in the back nine. Leading by one stroke, she is aiming for her 15th career win, her first in 7 months since winning the Park Seri Invitational last September. Kim Hyo-joo has been a 'monster' dominating the professional stage since her amateur days. As a non-member, she secured a ticket to the U.S. by winning the Evian Championship in September 2014.

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

She has been on an upward trend, accumulating an impressive 4 wins in 17 KLPGA Tour events over the past two years. She is reaping the benefits of 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, "Golfing in Korea is so much fun." 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."

Park Hyun-kyung is making an iron shot on the first hole of the first day of the Chris F&C KLPGA Championship. Photo by KLPGA

LPGA member Kim Ah-rim started smoothly, chasing the leader by 3 strokes. Domestic number one Park Min-ji (24·NH Investment & Securities) is also positioned tied for 8th with 3-under-par. Lee So-mi (23·SBI Savings Bank) and Cho Ah-yeon (22·Dongbu Construction) are tied for 8th, and Yoo Hae-ran (21·Daol Financial Group) is tied for 20th with 2-under-par. Park Hyun-kyung (22·Korea Land Trust), aiming for a three-peat after 40 years, recorded 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. Along with Park Ji-young (26·Korea Land Trust), she is tied for 30th with 1-under-par.

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