Park, Kim, Lee share 3-way LPGA lead
Park Sung-hyun, Kim Min-sun and Minjee Lee were tied for the lead after the first round of the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, Thursday. Seventy eight golfers are taking part in the competition held at the 6,316-yard Sky 72 Golf Club Ocean Course at Incheon.
Park, paired with World No. 1 Ryu So-yeon and World No. 3 Lexi Thompson, fired a bogey-free six-under 66. Kim had seven birdies against one bogey to make a good start, including successive birdies on the last five holes. Lee from Australia made eight birdies with two bogeys.
Five players — Lizette Salas, Cristie Kerr, Park Min-ji, Chella Choi and Marina Alex — scored a five-under 67.
Salas, Kerr and Choi each had 6 birdies against one bogey; Park had a bogey-free round; and Alex shot an eagle — on the par-five 23th — six birdies and three bogeys.
Choi ended her back nine with a streak of five consecutive birdies starting from the 14th through to the last hole.
Ko Jin-young, Kim Ji-hyun, American Angela Yin, and New Zealander Lydi Ko started well with a four-under par 68. Ko shot six birdies against two bogeys.
Thompson had a three-under par 69, birdying five holes with one bogey.
Chun In-gee shot a bogey-free two-under 70.
Ryu hit an even par 72 with three birdies against three bogeys; while Alison Lee hit a two-over 74 with two birdies and four bogeys.
Defending champion, Carlota Ciganda from Spain hit an even-par 72 with four birdies, two bogeys and one double-bogey.
Last year, Ciganda came from five-strokes behind 54-hole leader Lee, and defeated her in a sudden death playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole.
Ciganda whacked her tee shot onto the fairway on the playoff hole, while Lee sent her ball into the rough. Ciganda hit an iron for the second shot. Lee used a utility hybrid club but pulled her second shot mistakenly into the left rough.
Ciganda sent her third shot near the hole, leaving her in a position to birdie. Lee, however, hit her third shot into the rough past the green. It was disappointing for Lee and her fans.
With a chip on her fourth shot, Lee put her ball an inch or so away from the hole for a tap-in par: She almost got the ball into the hole, revitalizing the ember of hope of ending the first play-off hole in a draw. Ciganda, however, made the clutch putt for a birdie to win her first championship on the LPGA Tour.