“It’s hard to decide on a break, but it can give you a boost for the second half of the year.”
Lim Hee-jung is back. She played a flawless game without a bogey to earn her first win of the season. She will be looking to become the inaugural champion of the new tournament.
Lim Hee-jung carded seven birdies without a bogey on the first day of the Sangsangin-Korea Economic TV Open ($1.2 billion in prize money) on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour at Lakewood Country Club’s Mulgil Hwanggil Course (Par 72) in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
With a first-round total of 7-under 65, Lim moved to the top of the leaderboard by one stroke over tied for second place with Kim Soo-ji, Park Eun-yeon, Hwang Yoo-min and Choi Ga-bin (all 6-under 66).
Lim has five wins on the KLPGA Tour and is known for her fan following. She recently won the popularity award for the second year in a row.
This year, however, she is winless. She hasn’t won in a year and four months, with her most recent victory coming at the DB Group Korean Women’s Open last June. Her best finish this year was a tie for fourth at the Samdasoo Masters in Jeju in August.
Injuries have been a factor. After withdrawing from the Korean Women’s Open, where she was set to defend her title, with a sore ankle, Lim took over a month off the tour.
On this day, she returned to her ‘proper’ form. Starting on the 10th hole, she carded four birdies in the first nine holes and then added three more in the second half to take the lead.
“The course was in good shape and I had no trouble making putts, so it was fun to play. There were some long roughs, so I paid attention to the accuracy of my tee shots.” “I still don’t feel the same way, but my shot feeling has been improving since the second half of the year. I was a little disappointed with my putts and couldn’t convert them into birdies, but I recently switched putters and it worked out well.”토토사이트
Her decision to take a break from the tour to rest, rehabilitate and practice also helped.
“Taking a month and a half off was a big decision for me as a player, but I felt like I needed to be decisive, so I decided to take a break. I think that’s why I was able to be so strong in the second half of the season. It was the toughest time of my career, and I feel like I gave myself a chance to rebound today, so I feel really good,” she smiled.
Hwang Yoo-min and Kim Min-byul, who are battling for Rookie of the Year honors, had a close first day, with Hwang winning by a stroke. However, with Kim in a tie for sixth place after a 5-under 67, it’s hard to predict the outcome until the final day.
Lee Ye-won, who leads all players in money (1.267 billion won), points (562) and lowest scoring average (70.67) this season, shot a 4-under 68 and is tied for ninth.
Bang Shin-sil, who won his second title of the season at the Dongbu E&C-Korea Land Trust Championship last week in a modified stableford format, shot an even-par 72 and tied for 56th.