'8 Under Par' Lee Jumi: "The Strategy for Burche Hill Worked Well"

Mekkol·Mona Yongpyong Open 1R with 8 Birdies in a Row
Previous 6 Appearances Best Finish Tied 50th, Poor Performance
"Chose a Shorter Club Than It Appeared"

Lee Joo-mi is a 'Winners Club member' who won the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour last April. She debuted on the regular tour in 2015 and won after enduring hardships in 148 tournaments. Even veteran Lee Joo-mi has courses she dislikes. One of the battlegrounds of the KLPGA Tour McCol·Mona Yongpyong Open (total prize money 800 million KRW) is Birch Hill Country Club (par 72, 6,435 yards) in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do.

Lee Jumi is making an iron shot on the 10th hole of the first round at the McCol·Mona Yongpyong Open.
[Photo by KLPGA]

She has participated six times in tournaments held here and advanced to the final round only once in 2021. Even then, she finished tied for 50th place. Over a total of 13 rounds, her average score was 75.61 strokes. She recorded under-par scores only twice. In 2016, she shot 78 in the first round and 83 in the second round and was cut. Last year, she scored 79 in the first round and 76 in the second round before heading home.

Lee Joo-mi, who used to be intimidated by Birch Hill Country Club, created a turnaround story. In the first round of the McCol·Mona Yongpyong Open, which started on the 30th, she swept up eight birdies without a single bogey. The 8-under-par 64 is a powerful score just one stroke shy of the course record (9-under-par 63) set by Choi Hye-jin in the third round of this tournament in 2017. It is also Lee Joo-mi’s personal record for the lowest 18-hole score.

Lee Joo-mi exclaimed, "I am very happy to finish the round with the best score since my professional debut," adding, "It’s the best round I’ve played at Birch Hill. I would even give myself 100 points." Regarding the reason for her improved performance compared to before, she explained, "I used to always overshoot the green because I couldn’t properly gauge the iron distances on this course," and added, "This year, choosing shorter clubs was effective."

Lee Joo-mi is aiming for her second victory, following domestic No. 1 Park Min-ji. She said, "There are a few holes in the course layout that are not comfortable for me, but if my tee shots go well, I think I can achieve a good result," and vowed, "I have often missed opportunities by playing it safe, so for the remaining two days, I will play aggressively."

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