Bae So-hyun’s tee shot.
Bae So-hyun (30), who enjoyed the joy of winning for the first time in her career in her 154th appearance on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour, cautiously showed her desire to win a major tournament.
So-Hyun Bae hit 4 under par 68 with 5 birdies on the first day of the DB Group Korea Women’s Open (total prize money of 1.2 billion won) held at Rainbow Hills Country Club (par 72) in Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province on the 13th.
Bae So-hyun, who recorded the fewest number of strokes among the 66 players who teed off in the morning and was named at the top of the leaderboard, laid the foundation for her second career win following the E1 Charity Open on the 26th of last month.
Bae So-hyun is a player who had no connection to winning even though she participated in a whopping 153 competitions before winning the E1 Charity Open.
He debuted in 2010, but instead of winning, he was often unable to maintain his seeding, so he had to rematch the seeding match or go down to the Dream Tour and then return.
Bae So-hyun, who only ranked 35th in the prize money rankings last year, was in the middle of the rankings. However, this year, when she turned 30, she bloomed brilliantly.
Not only did she win her first championship, but she also transformed into a player who can hit far and accurately on the KLPGA Tour, as evidenced by her ranking of 7th in long shots, 10th in green accuracy, and 15th in average strokes.
After her first win, she faltered by tying for 22nd in the Sh Suhyup Bank MBN Women’s Open, but she made a powerful move by tying for 9th in the Celltrion Queen’s Masters, which ended on the 9th.
In particular, Bae So-hyun’s driver distance has increased noticeably over the past two years, and she is envious of younger players, calling it a ‘rejuvenation shot’.
Bae So-hyun, who started the match at the 10th hole, opened with a ‘cycle birdie’.
In the 10th hole (par 5), he made a 2m birdie with the third shot from 100 yards away, and in the 11th hole (par 3), he dropped his tee shot 3m next to the hole and made a birdie.
Bae So-hyun, who made a ‘cycle birdie’ by dropping a 7m birdie putt on the 12th hole (par 4), made up for a bogey on the 15th hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 4), and made up for the bogey on the 15th hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 7th hole (par 5). He took the lead with a birdie.
Bae So-hyun said, “My tee shot was a little shaky,” and “So instead of trying to keep the fairway, I focused on getting as much on the green as possible. I also focused on playing around the green. Fortunately, it went well.”
Bae So-hyun, who is participating for the fourth time in the DB Group Korea Women’s Open held at Rainbow Hills Country Club where the tournament was held, expressed her motivation, saying, “Honestly, I’m greedy for this tournament.”
He said, “Because I won my first championship, I feel a little more relaxed,” and added, “My shots and putts are not bad these days.”
He didn’t hide his confidence either.
Bae So-hyun said, “It’s a difficult course, but if you play well in the par 5 holes, it’s easy to reduce the number of strokes. Today, I attempted two-on in 3 of the 4 par 5 holes and caught 2 birdies. I think it’s a course that suits me well.” .
However, since Rainbow Hills Country Club is a place where you can lose a lot of strokes at once if you miss, Bae So-hyun said, “There are enough other players to rise up, and I can either fall or go up further. Stay calm and focus on each stroke as in a major tournament.” “I will do it,” he pledged.
Jeong Yun-ji, who played the first round with Bae So-hyun, followed with a 3-under par 69.
Jeong Yun-ji ran the same 4-under par as Bae So-hyun until the 17th hole, but was disappointed with a 3-putt bogey on the final 9th hole (par 4).
Yoon Ina, who played a wrong ball in the second round of this tournament in 2022 and voluntarily reported a month later and received a three-year ban from playing, hit 2 under par and 70 strokes.
Yoon Ina’s disciplinary action was reduced to 1 year and 6 months and she was able to participate in this competition. 토토사이트