Only 9 of 108 players finished under par on the cold, rainy opening day of the JLPGA Tour V-Point×SMBC Ladies Golf Tournament.
Among those nine was a name familiar to Korean golf fans: Park Hyun-kyung, known as "Cutiful." Her name sits atop the leaderboard.
Park fired a 5-under-par 67 with one eagle, four birdies, and one bogey in the first round at Murasaki Country Club (par 72) in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on November 20, taking the solo lead.
A remarkable shot eagle on the par-4 14th hole propelled Park to the top of the leaderboard.
Playing alongside rookie Ito Aika and veteran Watanabe Ayaka of Japan, Park made birdies on the 5th hole (par 4) and 9th hole (par 4) to turn at 2-under. After dropping a shot with a bogey on the 10th hole (par 4), she recovered with a birdie on the 12th hole (par 5). The shot eagle came on the 14th hole (par 4), which played as the day's most difficult. The 420-yard hole yielded only five birdies while producing 33 bogeys, seven double bogeys, and one triple bogey. Park made eagle on this demanding hole.
From 167 yards out, Park holed her second shot with a 4-utility club. She added another birdie on the 17th hole (par 4), where only four birdies were recorded all day, cementing her position atop the leaderboard.
Sakuma Shuri of Japan, who led the JLPGA in scoring average and prize money last year, sits alone in second place at 4-under-par 68. Suzuki Ai, Araki Yuna, and Kaneda Kumiko of Japan share third place at 2-under.