Jeon In-ji's Revival Shot "Seen the 8-Under?"... Defending Champion Koda Starts at 1-Under (Summary)

Major KPMG Women's PGA Championship Day 1: 5-Stroke Lead, Choi Hye-jin Tied 2nd, Kim Sei-young Tied 6th, Ko Jin-young and Park In-bi Tied 15th

Jeon In-ji is discussing hole strategy with her caddie at the 9th hole on the first day of the third major of the season, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Bethesda, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the revival shot of Jeon In-ji (28), the ‘Flying Dumbo.’

On the 24th (Korean time), at the Blue Course (par 72, 6,894 yards) of Congressional Golf Club in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, the third major of this season’s LPGA Tour, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (total prize money $9 million), Jeon In-ji fired an 8-under-par round on the first day to dominate the top of the leaderboard. Rookie Choi Hye-jin (23) and Pornanong Phatlum (Thailand) are tied for 2nd place (3-under-par 69), while Jennifer Song (USA) and Paula Reto (South Africa) are chasing in a tie for 4th place (2-under-par 70).

Jeon In-ji collected 9 birdies (1 bogey). She made her first birdie at the 11th hole (par 5) and then four consecutive birdies from the 15th to the 18th holes to reduce 5 strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, after a bogey at the 1st hole (par 4), she made three consecutive birdies from the 2nd to the 4th holes, followed by a birdie at the 7th hole (par 3), distancing herself from her competitors. She achieved a 100% fairway hit rate and relied on 25 ‘stingy putts’ as her driving force. Leading by 5 strokes, she is on course for her 4th career win, her first in 3 years and 8 months since the KEB Hana Bank Championship in October 2018.

Jeon In-ji secured her ‘LPGA Tour direct ticket’ by winning the US Women’s Open in July 2015 as a non-member. She collected trophies at the major Evian Championship in September 2016 and the KEB Hana Bank Championship two years later. Since then, she has been frustrated without a win. This year, she has played in 13 tournaments with only one top-10 finish. At the HSBC Women’s in March, she led through three rounds but was overtaken by Ko Jin-young (27) and settled for a tie for 2nd place.

Jeon said, “I hadn’t been performing well for several weeks, so I trained hard.” She added, “After the practice round, I changed my club selection according to the course setup, and it was effective.” She expressed satisfaction with today’s round. “It felt like the course was longer because of the rain, but the greens were soft,” she smiled, “I didn’t realize I made so many birdies.” Jeon explained the secret to her good performance: “I tried to enjoy golf more on the course and communicate more with my caddie.”

Defending champion Nelly Korda (right) and 'Golf Empress' Inbee Park are playing together at the 11th hole on the first day of the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Bethesda, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

Defending champion Nelly Korda (USA) recorded 3 birdies and 2 bogeys, placing tied for 6th (1-under-par 71). Joining this group are last week’s winner Jennifer Kupcho (USA), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Nasa Hataoka (Japan), and Hannah Green (Australia). From Korea, Choi Hye-jin showed flawless play with 3 birdies and no bogeys. Kim Sei-young (29), Kim In-kyung (34), and Kim A-lim (27) also started smoothly, tied for 6th place.

World No. 1 Ko Jin-young exchanged 3 birdies for 3 bogeys, placing tied for 15th (even par 72). The ‘Golf Queen’ Park In-bee (34), who built a three-peat from 2013 to 2015, also failed to lower her score and is tied for 15th with Choi Woon-jung (32). US Women’s Open champion Minjee Lee (Australia), Lotte Championship winner Kim Hyo-joo (27), and JTBC Classic champion Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) are tied for 30th (1-over-par 73), eyeing a move up the leaderboard.

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