Kim Hyo-joo "I'm the drought breaker for wins"... Lydia Ko 'Leading'

Kim Hyo-joo Tied 4th at 5-Under on Day 1 of CME Group Tour Championship
Daniel Kang Tied 2nd, Korda, Kim Se-young, Yang Hee-young Tied 6th
Lee Min-ji Tied 23rd, Ko Jin-young Tied 35th, Jeon In-ji Tied 48th

Kim Hyo-joo is taking a shot on the fairway of the 3rd hole on the first day of the CME Group Tour Championship. Naples, USA - Photo by AFP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Lotte Championship champ’ Kim Hyo-joo (27) is on her way to her second win.

On the 17th (local time), Kim Hyo-joo shot 5-under 67 on the first day of the CME Group Tour Championship (total prize money $7 million), the final event of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, held at Tiburon Golf Club Black Course (par 72, 6,556 yards) in Naples, Florida, USA, to tie for 4th place. Lydia Ko (New Zealand) leads with 7-under 65, while Danielle Kang (USA) and Pajaree Anannarukarn (Thailand) are tied for 2nd at 6-under 66.

Kim Hyo-joo recorded seven birdies and two bogeys. She made her first birdie on the 3rd hole (par 4) and then four consecutive birdies from the 6th to 9th holes, reducing five strokes in the front nine. Although she wavered briefly with consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes in the back nine, she finished the round on a high note with ‘stepping stone birdies’ on the 15th and 17th holes. She powered her round with a 100% fairway hit rate and 83.33% greens in regulation. She is two strokes behind the leader, and this is her chance for her second win of the season and sixth career victory, seven months after the Lotte Championship in April.

Lydia Ko is teeing off at the 3rd hole on the first day of the CME Group Tour Championship. Naples, USA - Photo by AFP Yonhap News

‘Two-time champ’ Lydia Ko racked up eight birdies (one bogey), including four consecutive birdies. If she wins, she could claim Player of the Year, lowest scoring average, and money title this year. "I made a bogey on the 1st hole (par 5) due to a tee shot mistake," Lydia Ko said. "I refocused and was happy to make birdies on the remaining holes. Many players are playing well, so I am concentrating on every hole," she explained.

No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA), Brooke Henderson (Canada), and Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) are tied for 6th at 4-under 68, Leona Maguire (Ireland) is tied for 13th at 3-under 69, and money leader Minjee Lee (Australia) is tied for 23rd at 1-under 71. Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand), who secured Rookie of the Year early, is tied for 41st at 1-over 73.

Korea, suffering from 15 consecutive tournaments without a win, started comfortably with Kim Sei-young (29) and Yang Hee-young (33) tied for 6th. Lee Jeong-eun 6 and An Na-rin (both 26) are tied for 15th at 2-under 70. Ko Jin-young (27), aiming for a third consecutive win, exchanged four birdies for four bogeys. She is tied for 35th at even par 72 with ‘Match Queen’ Ji Eun-hee (36). Second in prize money Jeon In-ji (28) is tied for 48th at 2-over 74, making it difficult to overtake the money title.

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