'2-stroke lead' Kim Jaehee: "If I win my first victory at the opening match"

Hana Financial Group Singapore Women's Open 2R 4 Under Par
Leading by 2 Shots, Pursuing First Win on Birthday
"Now I Have Confidence in My Shots"

“Beautiful golfer” Kim Jae-hee has seized her first chance for victory.

Kim Jae-hee is celebrating with her caddy after making a birdie on the 11th hole of the second round at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women's Open.
[Photo by KLPGA]

On the 8th, at the Tanamera Country Club Tampines Course (par 72, 6,548 yards) in Singapore, during the second round of the 2024 KLPGA Tour season opener, the Hana Financial Group Singapore Ladies Open (total prize money 1.1 million Singapore dollars), Kim shot a 4-under-par 68 to take the top spot on the leaderboard with a total of 10-under-par 134. Bang Shin-sil reduced her score by one stroke over 11 holes to share second place (9-under-par). Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand), Hwang Yu-min, Jeon Ye-seong, and amateur Oh Soo-min also joined this group. The round was postponed due to bad weather followed by sunset.

Kim Jae-hee was spotlighted as a super rookie in the 2021 season, but in her first two years, she was satisfied with four top-10 finishes, including one runner-up in 56 tournaments. She rebounded in the second half of last year. She finished second at the Daebo House D Open in October and placed sixth at the major Hite Jinro Championship, creating momentum for two consecutive weeks. However, luck did not favor her. In November last year, she took the solo lead in the first half of the final round at the S-Oil Championship, but due to heavy rain that day, the winner was decided based on the results of rounds 1 to 3, and she narrowly missed out on victory. Kim Jae-hee was born on March 10, 2001. If she maintains the lead through the fourth round, she will lift the winner’s trophy on her 23rd birthday.

Right after the round, Kim said confidently, “After continuously hitting balls during training camp, I realized I still had the same feel as last year. I thought if I keep this up, chances for victory will come often.” She added, “Until the year before last, I had many insecurities, but after changing my pro last year, I gained confidence in my shots. I always had the thought ‘I think a win will come’ in my mind.”

Kim Jae-hee is sponsored by SK Telecom starting this year. Regarding rounds 3 and 4, she said, “If I regain the shot feel from yesterday, I think there will only be birdie chances without any bogeys,” and smiled brightly, “If I get my first win at the season opener, my next goals will change to the Player of the Year and the money title.”

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