‘Lotte’ Kim Hyoju and Choi Hyejin... ‘We Love Evian’
6-Under Par Excitement on Day One of Amundi Evian Championship
Tawatthanakit and Driver G Share Lead at 7-Under Par
Korda, Yang Hee-young, and Ko Jin-young Tied for 21st at 2-Under Par
Kim Hyo-joo and Choi Hye-jin, both affiliated with Lotte, showed strong performances at Evian.
On the 11th (local time), at the Evian Resort Golf Club (par 71, 6,527 yards) in the southeastern French resort town of Evian-les-Bains, during the first round of the LPGA Tour Amundi Evian Championship (total prize money $8 million), both players posted 6-under-par 65, tying for 4th place. Kim Hyo-joo showcased perfect play with six birdies, while Choi Hye-jin recorded seven birdies and one bogey. They were just one stroke behind the joint leaders.
Kim Hyo-joo has shown strong performances at the Evian Championship. She has a special connection to this tournament, having won the major title here in 2014. At that time, she set a course record with a 61 in the first round. She also finished tied for 2nd in 2019 and tied for 3rd in 2022. After the Ascendant LPGA Benefiting VOA in October last year, this marks the stepping stone for her 7th LPGA Tour win in nine months. She said, "Watching the winning footage from 10 years ago helped me. Although I made a tee shot mistake, I managed to save it well with putting."
Choi Hye-jin entered the U.S. stage in 2022 but has yet to claim a victory. On the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour, she accumulated nine wins by 2021. Her best result this year is 3rd place at the Honda Thailand in February. Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand), Ingrid Lindblad (Sweden), and Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland) are tied for the lead at 7-under-par 64.
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Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is tied for 4th, and Alison Lee (USA) started solidly at tied 18th (3-under-par 68). World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA) is tied for 21st (2-under-par 69), looking to climb the leaderboard. From Korea, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner Yang Hee-young, 2019 champion Ko Jin-young, Lee Jeong-eun 6, An Na-rin, and Lee Mi-hyang are tied for 21st, while Lee So-mi, Lim Jin-hee, and Park Ji-young are tied for 38th (1-under-par 70). Domestic player Lee Ye-won is tied for 75th (1-over-par 72).
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