Rookie Choi Hye-jin Leads "Glad I Changed the Atmosphere"... Lydia Ko Tied for 2nd, 1 Stroke Behind
Scottish Women's Open Day 1: Anna Lin Shoots 6-Under, Kim Hyoju 5-Under, Ko Jinyoung 2-Under, Total 8-Under Par Surge
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] When things go wrong, changing the atmosphere is one way to cope.
This is about rookie Choi Hye-jin (23, photo). After dominating the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, Choi debuted this year on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour as a "rookie." She has been on a winning streak, accumulating a total of 10 wins including 2 amateur victories domestically. She swept the Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards in 2018, and in 2019, she dominated wins, prize money, lowest scoring average, and Player of the Year honors. In 2020, she won the Player of the Year award for the third consecutive year. She was regarded as "unrivaled on the KLPGA Tour."
As a non-member, she showcased exceptional power on the LPGA Tour. As an amateur, she surprised many by finishing runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Women's Open and again placed second at the ISPS Handa Vic Open in February 2020. However, she went winless last year. In December of the same year, she secured her ticket to the U.S. by finishing tied for 8th at the LPGA Tour Qualifying (Q) Series. This year, after moving to the U.S., she is regaining her former form, currently ranking 2nd in rookie points (843 points).
Choi Hye-jin has seized her first chance to win on the LPGA Tour. On the 29th (Korean time), at the Trust Golf Scottish Women's Open held at Dundonald Links (par 72, 6,584 yards) in North Ayrshire, Scotland, she fired an 8-under-par round on the first day to top the leaderboard. She recorded 1 eagle and 7 birdies (with 1 bogey). She smoothly played 3-under-par over 13 holes and then showed a fierce finishing strength by shooting 5 strokes under par over the remaining 5 holes.
Choi boasted precise shots, missing the fairway and green only twice each. Her putting count was a decent 27. Leading by one stroke, she laid the foundation for her first win in 16 tournaments. Choi has entered the top 10 eight times, including 3rd place finishes at the U.S. Women's Open and the Lotte Championship. "I didn't have many good memories on links courses, but today everything from my shots to putting was good," she said. "The wind is expected to pick up over the next three days, so I will focus on low shots and chip shots."
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Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is chasing in a tie for 2nd place at 7-under-par. Ahn Na-rin (26) is tied for 5th at 6-under-par, and Kim Hyo-joo (27), who finished 3rd at last week's Evian Championship, started comfortably tied for 7th at 5-under-par. Minjee Lee (Australia), the U.S. Women's Open champion, is also tied for 7th. Kim Sei-young (29) is tied for 18th at 3-under-par, while No. 1 Ko Jin-young (27) and KPMG Women's Champion Jeon In-ji (28) are tied for 32nd at 2-under-par. Golf legend Park In-bee (34) finished tied for 82nd at 1-over-par.
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