Lee Ye-won and Park Hyun-kyung both posted victories on the opening day of the Doosan Match Play, the only match play event on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, with a total purse of 1 billion won.
Defending champion Lee, who is chasing back-to-back titles, defeated Lee Se-hee 5&4 in the first round of Group 5 pool play on Thursday at Ladena Golf Club (par 72) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The commanding win came with five holes up and four to play. With one point in hand, Lee will face Kim Woo-jeong in her second match. Kim drew her opening match against Lee Chae-eun, leaving Lee Ye-won atop Group 5.
Park, the 2024 champion, also sounded her victory horn. In her first Group 13 match, she beat Jung So-i 4&2, going four holes up with two to play. Park had been one hole ahead through the 13th when she reeled off three straight birdies from the 14th, sweeping all three holes to close out the match on the 16th. Park will next meet Seo Eo-jin, who failed to earn a point after losing 2&1 to Shin Da-in.
"Match play is a tournament everyone wants to win," Park said after her round. "Having won it once, I want it even more. It's a tough event, but the joy is just as big, so I want to go all the way to the end." On the possibility of a rematch with Lee Ye-won, whom she faced in the 2024 final, Park added, "I hope we both survive to the weekend and meet. We would face each other in the quarterfinals, and I hope Ye-won makes it all the way too."
Kim Min-sol, the standout rookie with one victory this season, struggled and fell 3 down with two holes to play against Moon Jung-min. Another rookie, Choi Jung-won, defeated Ko Ji-won 2&1. Ko currently ranks third in both prize money and Player of the Year points after winning last month's domestic season opener, The Siena Open. Bang Shin-sil edged Kim Ji-soo 1 up in a tight contest. Kim Min-sun and Ahn Ji-hyun failed to settle their match over 18 holes and split half a point each.
The tournament divides 64 players into 16 groups for pool play, with only each group's top finisher advancing to the round of 16 to determine the champion.
