'Who is the Hero of Korea's Scoreless Escape'... 'Isomi's Opportunity Has Come'

Mizuho Americas Open 1R 6-Under Par Lead
Korea's 11 Consecutive Tournaments Without Victory Since Opening
Shin Ji-eun Tied 6th, Ko Jin-young and Korda Tied 17th

Korean female golf players have been underperforming this year.

Lee So-mi is aiming at the target on the 8th hole of the first round at the Mizuho Americas Open. [Jersey City, USA = AP·Yonhap News]

Since the LPGA Tour season opener, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January, they have failed to lift the winner's trophy in 11 consecutive events, including last week's Cognizant Founders Cup. They have been overshadowed by the momentum of Nelly Korda (USA), who is on a five-win streak this season. Additionally, Ko Jin-young, ranked 5th in the world, returned to the field late while struggling with injury aftereffects. It is a difficult time for the Taeguk ladies who once dominated the LPGA Tour.

Korea has firmly seized its first winning opportunity through rookie Lee So-mi. On the 16th (local time), at the Mizuho Americas Open (total prize money $3 million) held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey (par 72, 6,656 yards), she shot a 6-under-par 66 in the first round to top the leaderboard. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), she collected eight birdies and two bogeys. She leads by two strokes over the group tied for second place at 4-under-par 68, including Andrea Lee (USA).

Lee So-mi accumulated five wins on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour before earning her LPGA Tour card by finishing tied for second in the LPGA Qualifying (Q) Series last December. She has played in six tournaments this year, making the cut twice. She finished tied for 16th at the LPGA Drive On Championship and tied for 13th at the JM Eagle LA Championship.

Korea started the first round relatively smoothly. Shin Ji-eun is tied for 6th place (3-under-par 69), while Ko Jin-young and Mi-hyang Lee are tied for 17th (2-under-par 70). World No. 1 Korda joined the tie for 17th with three birdies and one bogey. Rose Zhang (USA), last week's winner and defending champion, withdrew due to abdominal pain.

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