Kim Min-sol, ranked second on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour money list, ranks second in driving distance at 258.59 yards. Bang Shin-sil, third on the money list, is sixth in driving distance at 251.55 yards. Playing alongside Kim and Bang, who combine skill with power, would put pressure on anyone.
Park Hyun-kyung, ranked 61st in driving distance at 237.34 yards, found herself in exactly that situation. The encounter came at the E1 Charity Open, which began Thursday at Ferrum Club (par 72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. Under the "KLPGA's first rule of pairings," last year's champion Park was grouped with Bang, the winner of last week's tournament, and Kim, the top-ranked player on the money list.
The first-round results defied expectations. Kim and Bang each carded 3-over 75 to share 92nd place, putting them in danger of missing the cut. Kim managed only one birdie against four bogeys. Bang had an even tougher day. She opened with a double bogey on the 10th hole (par 4), then dropped one more stroke with four bogeys and three birdies. After slipping to as much as 6-over, she salvaged her round by making three birdies over the final seven holes to claw back inside the top 100.
Playing between the two big hitters, Park shot a 4-under 68 with four birdies and no bogeys. She trails co-leaders Lee Ga-young and Lee Yul-lin, who each fired 6-under 66, by two strokes. Park, who finished runner-up in her two most recent stroke-play starts, can now eye both back-to-back titles in this event and her first win of the season.
Jung So-yi shot a 5-under 67 to take sole third place, while Park Min-ji, Lee Da-yeon, Hwang Min-jung, Jeon Woo-ri and Yoon Su-a joined Park Hyun-kyung in a tie for fourth.
Cho A-yean, who recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 third hole, finished the first round at 2-under 70, tied for 14th.
