Choi Hye-jin's '5-Hole Victory'... Kim Hyo-joo's '3-Hole Defeat'

In Bank of Hope Match Play Group Stage Round 1, Oh Suhyun Defeats Opponent, Lee Minji and Shin Jieun Claim Victory, Defending Champion Yu Ying Faces Defeat

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Rookie Choi Hye-jin (23, Lotte, photo) has made a fresh start.

On the 26th (Korean time) at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (par 72, 6,777 yards), Choi Hye-jin crushed Oh Su-hyun (Australia) by 5 holes in the first match of the group stage of the LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play (total prize money $1.5 million). Like the FIFA World Cup, 64 players are divided into 16 groups, with the top player from each group advancing to the round of 16, followed by one-on-one match play. A win earns 1 point, and a draw earns 0.5 points.

Choi Hye-jin led by 1 hole in the front nine and then secured the victory early by winning holes 10-11 and 13-14 in the back nine. Choi Hye-jin is a player who has won a total of 10 titles on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, including 2 as an amateur. She crossed over to the U.S. this year after going through the LPGA Tour Qualifying (Q) Series last December. This season, she has been performing well, finishing in the top 10 four times in eight tournaments. Her best result was 3rd place at last month’s Lotte Championship.

Lee Minji is making a chip shot on the 2nd hole of the first match in the group stage of the Bank of Hope Match Play. Las Vegas, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

Minjee Lee (Australia) started off well by beating Jeon Young-in (22) by 6 holes. However, ‘Tournament of Champions champ’ Danielle Kang (USA) became a victim of an upset, losing to Kelly Tan (Malaysia) by 7 holes. ‘JTBC Classic champ’ Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) defeated Tiffany Chan (Hong Kong) by 3 holes, and defending champion Ally Ewing (USA) was defeated by Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) by 6 holes.

Korea’s Shin Ji-eun (30, Hanwha Q CELLS) edged out last year’s runner-up Sophia Popov (Germany) by 2 holes. The ‘eldest sister’ Ji Eun-hee (36, Hanwha Q CELLS) also defeated Parajai Anannarukarn (Thailand) by 4 holes. Lee Jeong-eun 6 (26, Daebang Construction) and Kim A-lim (27, SBI Savings Bank) ended in draws. On the other hand, ‘Lotte Championship champ’ Kim Hyo-joo (27, Lotte) lost to Allison Koepka (USA) by 3 holes. Choi Woon-jung (32, Volvik), Yoo So-yeon (32, Mediheal), and Kang Hye-ji (32) also suffered defeats.

Kim Hyo-joo is making an approach shot from the rough on the 12th hole in the first match of the Bank of Hope Match Play group stage. Las Vegas, USA ? Photo by Getty Images/MultiBits

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