With A Four-Birdie Run, Kim Took The LPGA Founders Cup Lead
With A Four-Birdie Run, Kim Took The LPGA Founders Cup Lead.
Kim Sei-young of South Korea, who hasn’t won on the LPGA since 2020, shot a bogey-free six-under-par 66 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Founders Cup.
After 18 holes at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey, the 30-year-old South Korean from Seoul, who won the Founders Cup in 2016 when the competition was held in Arizona, took a one-stroke lead over fellow countryman Ryu Hae-ran.
“This course is a favorite course.” “Keep the fairway it’s really important this week. Greens are really fast, way faster than in practice round.”
Kim Sei-young
33 in the world, Kim has 12 career LPGA championships under her belt, including a major at the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship, although her most recent victory came at the 2020 Pelican Championship.
Kim took the lead after birdieing the par-4 third and par-3 sixth holes. She also made four consecutive birdies from the par-5 12th to the par-3 15th holes.
Kim is grateful for the opportunity to honor the pioneers who founded the LPGA Tour at the event that celebrates their history.
“It means a lot because of the legends, legacy players.” “We had a chance to meet them at 18. Really glad to meet them. It’s good emotionally to share with them, so it’s really a special tournament to me.”
Kim Sei-young
Ryu, an LPGA rookie, finished in a tie for sixth at Los Angeles, a career-best performance for the 22-year-old.
“At the very first time, I had really low confidence.” “After all the rounds, I’m getting more confident on the tour, and I’m really doing well, I think.”
Ryu Hae-ran
The 45th-ranked Ryu scored birdies on four of the first seven holes but also bogeyed the par-5 second, par-5 ninth, and par-4 eleventh holes before going on her run of four straight birdies from holes 12 through 15.
“Before, I was a little bit struggling, but then I got a birdie on the 12th, and then I was in a good mood.” “I was a little bit worried when I started because the fairway is narrow, but I changed my mind… After that, my score is getting better.”
Ryu’s statement about her birdie run
Chien Peiyun, a 42nd-ranked golfer from Taiwan, started the back nine with a chance to share the lead, but he closed with back-to-back bogeys at the par-3 eighth and par-5 ninth, dropping him into a group of players tied for third on 68.
South Koreans Choi Hye-jin and Ko Jin-young, Australian Minjee Lee, Japanese Nasa Hataoka, Americans Stacy Lewis and Cheyenne Knight, Thai Atthaya Thitikul, and Canadian Maddie Szeryk were all two strokes back as well.
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