Hyejin Choi Starts Tied for Fourth... "Chasing Her First Victory"

4-Under Par in Round 1 of the Mizuho Americas Open
Korean-American Andrea Lee Leads with 6-Under Par
Lydia Ko and Thitikul Tied for Second, One Stroke Behind

Hyejin Choi has laid the groundwork for her first victory.

On May 7 (local time), at Mountain Ridge Country Club (par 72) in West Caldwell, New Jersey, she recorded one eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys in the first round of the LPGA Tour Mizuho Americas Open, which has a total prize purse of 3.25 million dollars. With a 4-under-par 68, she finished the day tied for fourth place.

Hyejin Choi is teeing off at the 2nd hole during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open. West Caldwell=AFP Yonhap News Photo by West Caldwell

This season, Hyejin Choi has competed in eight tournaments, making the cut in seven of them and finishing in the top ten twice. However, she has yet to win on the LPGA Tour.

Korean-American Andrea Lee surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 6-under-par 66. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and world No. 2 and defending champion Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) are tied for second place, just one stroke behind, with 5-under-par 67. Lydia Ko said, “I used a new putter at this tournament,” expressing her satisfaction by adding, “I’ve never felt this good on the greens.”

Among Korean players, Anna Lin and Minjee Kang are tied for 10th at 2-under-par 70, while Yumin Hwang and Cheyenne Choi are tied for 20th at 1-under-par 71. Jin Young Ko and Hae Ran Ryu are tied for 37th at even-par 72. World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA) did not participate in the tournament.

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