“I was an OK Scholar last year. So I really want to do well this year.”
Lee, who has two wins on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour this season, was the fifth recipient of the OK Assignment Scholarship Foundation, presented by OK Financial Group, as a junior. At the time, she received a scholarship worth about 20 million won.
At the media day for the KLPGA Tour’s OK Financial Group Eatman Open (total prize money of 800 million won) on Thursday, Lee recalled their relationship as juniors and said, “Last year, I competed as a rookie and unfortunately did not cross the winning threshold. This year, I want to make up for it with a good performance,” he said. Lee finished runner-up at the event last year.
Lee had a “good shot” at his goal: He made two bogeys and eight birdies in the first round of the tournament on Friday at the Club 72 Sky Course (par 72) in Yeongjongdo, Incheon.
With a first-round total of 6-under-par 66, Lee has secured the top spot on the leaderboard as of 3 p.m. ET.
Lee made her KLPGA Tour debut last year and won the once-in-a-lifetime rookie title. However, she was left with a lot of regret after the season, calling it “glory without a win.
After her long-awaited victory at the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open in April, Lee became a prolific winner at the Doosan E&C Weave Championship in August.
With $989.38 million in season earnings, Lee leads the money list and is also first in the WeMade Grand Prize Points category, putting her in position to take home two awards at the year-end awards ceremony.
“I had birdie chances on the first three holes of the match, but I was disappointed to miss them all,” said Lee. On the 13th hole, I took about 14 steps to make a birdie putt, which led to a birdie, which gave me confidence, and I was able to play smoothly after that,” said Lee.
Starting on the 10th hole, Lee birdied the 13th and then reeled off four consecutive birdies, the so-called “Audi birdies,” through the 16th to move up the leaderboard.
She made her first bogey on the back five, but recovered with a birdie on the sixth and erased a bogey on the seventh with a birdie on the eighth to return to the clubhouse with a one-shot lead.
Lee, who has a chance to follow Park with her third win of the season, said, “When I won two, I didn’t do it first, so I wasn’t too disappointed when Park won three. I just need to win three in the remaining tournaments.”스포츠토토
Rain was forecast for the second round of the tournament on the 16th. Lee said, “Players who make good judgments when it’s raining or windy are the ones who play well. I’m going to be careful with my club selection and try to play in a way that I don’t lose too many shots even if I make a mistake,” he said.