Yoo Hae-ran and Hong Ye-eun Start 2-Under Par as a '2-Person Team' in the Tournament

DGLBI 1R Foursome Tied for 11th Place
Kastren-Tan Leading with 6 Under Par
Butier-Saso, Lewis-Reto Tied for 2nd Place

Yu Hae-ran and Hong Ye-eun had a smooth start in the two-player team event on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour.

On the 19th (local time), the two players teamed up at the Midland Country Club (par 70, 6,256 yards) in Midland, Michigan, USA, for the first round of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (DGLBI, total prize money $2.7 million). In the foursomes format (two players alternate shots with one ball), they combined for 4 birdies and 2 bogeys to finish 2-under-par 70, placing them in a tie for 11th. The 1st and 3rd rounds are played in foursomes, while the 2nd and 4th rounds use the four-ball format (each player plays their own ball and the better score counts).

Yoo Hae-ran is teeing off at the 16th hole of the first round of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. [Midland, USA=AFP·Yonhap News]

Yu Hae-ran and Hong Ye-eun struggled with 1 birdie and 2 bogeys over the first 13 holes, posting 1-over-par, but showed strong finishing power with consecutive birdies on holes 14 and 15, and another birdie on the 17th hole (par 4). Yu Hae-ran topped the LPGA Qualifying (Q) Series last December. Although she has no wins yet, she has finished in the top 10 five times and currently leads the Rookie of the Year points with 525 points. Hong Ye-eun is in her second year on tour, with her best individual finish being a tie for 10th at last October’s BMW Ladies Championship.

Last year’s runner-up team, Matilda Castren (Finland) and Kelly Tan (Malaysia), took the lead with 6 birdies and no bogeys, posting 6-under-par 64. Celine Boutier (France) and Yuka Saso (Japan), Selin Borg (Sweden) and Polly Mack (Germany), Paula Reto (South Africa) and Amelia Lewis (USA) are tied for second place at 5-under-par 65, just one stroke behind.

Joo Soo-bin and Noh Ye-rim (USA) are tied for 11th, Lee Mi-hyang and Lee Jeong-eun 5 are tied for 18th (1-under-par 69), Kang Hye-ji and Tiffany Chan (Hong Kong) are tied for 30th (1-over-par 71), and Lee Il-hee and Gabriella Dan (USA) are tied for 38th (2-over-par 72). World No. 12 Brooke Henderson (Canada) and No. 16 Lexi Thompson (USA) are tied for 46th (3-over-par 73). Jane Park, a Korean-American returning to the tour after two years, teamed up with “Pink Princess” Paula Creamer (USA) and are tied for 56th (5-over-par 75).

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