Ko Jin-young 2 Over Par "Under Par Streak Ends After 8 Months"... Lee Min-ji and Cup Cho "6 Under Par Co-Leaders"

2022 Season First Major Chevron Championship Day 1: 78th Start, Defending Champ Tawatthanakit 3rd, Lydia Ko 4th

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] The under-par streak of 'Number 1' Ko Jin-young (27) came to a halt at '34 rounds.'

On the 1st (Korean time), at the Mission Hills Golf Club Dinah Shore Tournament Course (par 72, 6,884 yards) in Rancho Mirage, California, USA, Ko Jin-young struggled with a 2-over-par on the first day of the first major of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, the Chevron Championship (total prize money $5 million), finishing tied for 78th place. Minjee Lee (Australia) and Jennifer Kupcho (USA) shared the lead at 6-under-par 66, while defending champion Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand) was in third place at 5-under-par 67.

Ko Jin-young started at the 10th hole (par 4) and made two bogeys without any birdies. She made all pars on the front nine, but lost one stroke each on the 1st hole (par 4) and the 8th hole (par 3) on the back nine. With an average drive of 262 yards, a fairway hit rate of 71.43%, and a greens in regulation rate of 77.78%, her shot accuracy was not bad. However, she struggled on the greens. Her total putts for the round soared to 34. She was 8 strokes behind the co-leaders.

Ko Jin-young had broken Annika S?renstam's (Sweden) record of 28 consecutive under-par rounds by shooting under par from the 4th round of the Evian Championship last July through the 4th round of the HSBC Women's World Championship last month. She continued her under-par streak for 33 consecutive rounds until the 4th round of last week's JTBC Classic, but recorded an over-par round for the first time in 8 months. Ko Jin-young has been boasting a formidable pace, winning 5 out of her last 9 tournaments.

Even in the 4 tournaments where she did not win, her worst finish was tied for 6th place. She has been competing for the title in every tournament she enters, earning evaluations such as "She has the aura of Tiger Woods (USA)." Ko Jin-young said, "My shots were good, but my putting was bad," explaining, "I couldn't properly read the green slopes and speed," adding, "The green speed was a bit slow." She also said, "I don't know what happened," but expressed hope for a turnaround, saying, "Still, I think tomorrow will be okay."

Minjee Lee dominated the top of the leaderboard with flawless play, making 6 birdies without any bogeys. Tavatanakit also chased the leading group by 1 stroke, increasing her chances of a consecutive win. She said, "I played the game calmly." Lydia Ko (New Zealand), the 'Gainbridge Champion,' was tied for 4th place (4-under-par 68), 2014 champion Lexi Thompson (USA) tied for 10th place (3-under-par 69), and 'Honda Champion' Nanna Madsen (Denmark) was tied for 27th place (1-under-par 71).

From Korea, Kim Sei-young (29, Mediheal) recorded 4 birdies and 2 bogeys, tying for 16th place (2-under-par 70) along with Kim Hyo-joo (27, Lotte) and Kim A-lim (29, SBI Savings Bank). KLPGA members Lim Hee-jeong (Korea Land & Housing Corporation), Ji Eun-hee (36, Hanwha Q CELLS), and Jeon In-ji (28, KB Financial Group) were tied for 27th place, while rookie Choi Hye-jin (23, Lotte) was tied for 48th place (even par 72). 2013 champion Park In-bi (34, KB Financial Group) finished tied for 90th place (3-over-par 75).