Samchunri Golf Team claimed the top spot on the leaderboard on the opening day of Korea's only women's professional golf team championship.
The Samchunri duo of Kim Min-ju and Choi Ga-bin fired a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 with six birdies in the first round of the Carma-D'Ocean Cup Golf Team Championship with ANEW GOLF at D'Ocean Country Club (par 72) in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on Sunday. They hold a three-stroke lead over SBI Savings Bank's Kang Min-jin and Cho Hye-ji 2, who sit in second place at 3-under.
Now in its fifth year since launching in 2022, the tournament is Korea's only women's golf team competition and serves as a preseason event held just before the KLPGA Tour's domestic season opener. Ten teams compete over three rounds with no cut, and the team with the lowest combined score claims the title and 50 million won in prize money. The first two rounds use a foursome stroke format where two players alternate shots, while the final round employs a scramble format where players hit their own shots and then play from the better-positioned ball.
"Ga-bin and I are such close friends that we could play comfortably, and I think that led to the good result," Kim said after the round. "Even when mistakes happened, we didn't put pressure on each other. We just said 'give it a shot' and played with smiles, which created great synergy for the team."
Newcomer Daesun Distillery caused a stir as Sung Eun-jung and Lee Ji-hyun 3 combined for 2-under to claim sole possession of third place. National team members Koo Min-ji and Kim Kyu-bin posted a combined 1-under for fourth, while Daebang E&C's Kim Min-sun 7 and Lim Jin-young finished at even par in fifth.