Four under par because of the sudden cold..Lee Da-yeon is leading at 6 under par
Park Min-ji, who defended the title, started in last place with a 11-over par 83. While he had only one birdie, he committed two double bogeys and one triple bogey. Even if he rested for three weeks due to nerve pain and lost his sense of play, it was hard to believe that he was a player who won six games each in the KLPGA Tour over the past two years. Park Min-ji was not the only one who suffered from over par. Kim Min-byeol and Lim Hee-jung, who are likely to win the Rookie of the Year award, struggled with a 6-over 78 and Lee Ye-won, who confirmed the grand prize and prize money title, struggled with a 4-over 76.
Lee Da-yeon, who took the opportunity to play as a recommended player, played outstandingly. She garnered six birdies without bogeys, outpacing runner-up Im Jin-hee by one stroke. Lee Da-yeon, who displayed concentration by garnering four birdies in the second half when there were many tricky holes, was eligible to play as she garnered two wins this season, but was classified as a recommended player because she canceled the final match due to a mistake in clicking when applying for the tournament.
Im Jin-hee, who has grown into a leading star in the KLPGA Tour with three wins this season, also played an outstanding game. Im Jin-hee, who had three consecutive birdies on the fourth to sixth holes, added two birdies to the back nine. Jung So-yi took third place with a 4-under 68 thanks to a shot eagle on the 10th hole (par 4), and long hitter Bang Shin-sil took fourth place alone by reducing two strokes with four birdies and two bogeys.
Lee Da-yeon and Im Jin-hee, who finished the first day of the match in first and second place, mentioned the cold side by side after the match. Lee Da-yeon said, “I paid a lot of attention to the sudden cold weather, increasing the risk of injury. So it was helpful that I played more control swings than full swings, he said. “It’s not easy to reduce the number of strokes due to cold weather for the remaining two days, so I’ll put my mind down and play what I want to do.”
Im Jin-hee also said, “The distance of iron shots has decreased because it is cold. I think it’s good to abandon my greed for distance and hold one club for a long time and adjust the distance. “The short putt went very well,” he said. “I heard it will be really cold from tomorrow.” “I want to win, but I’m worried because I hate the cold so much.”
Rookie Hwang Yoo-min exchanged birdies and three bogeys, recording even par, tying for fifth with Park Chu-young and Lee So-mi. Park Sung-hyun, who participated at the sponsor’s invitation, made a double bogey on the third hole (par 4), but made three birdies (two bogeys) and tied for 11th place with Park Hyun-kyung, who played with a 1-over 73. Lee Bo-mi tied for 53rd with a 6-over 78.