Kim Hyo-joo, Chasing 3rd Straight Title, Tied for 6th at 4-Under After First Round of LET Aramco Korea

Kim Hyo-joo, who is seeking her third consecutive victory at the Ladies European Tour (LET) Aramco Korea Championship (total purse of $2 million), got off to a strong start in the upper tier on the opening day of the tournament.

On the first round of the tournament held today at New Korea CC (par 72) in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Kim carded five birdies and one bogey for a 4-under par 68. She finished tied for sixth place, three strokes behind leader Patricie Mackova of the Czech Republic, who posted a bogey-free round with seven birdies for a 7-under par 65.

Miyu Yamashita of Japan, Sarah Kemp of Australia, Olivia Cowan of Germany, and Lily May Humphries of England (all at 5-under par 67) formed a group tied for second, two strokes behind the leader.

This tournament is one of the PIF Global Series organized by the LET with support from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.

Kim became the inaugural champion at the 2024 tournament and successfully defended her title last year to claim back-to-back victories.

Challenging for her third straight title, Kim continued saving pars before recording her first bogey on the 6th hole (par 4), but bounced back with her first birdie on the 8th hole (par 5) to finish the front nine even par.

Catching her breath, Kim picked up momentum on the back nine.

After dropping a birdie on the 13th hole (par 5), Kim surged up the leaderboard by unleashing three consecutive birdies from holes 15 to 17.

Park Sung-hyun, competing alongside her, carded four birdies without a bogey for a 4-under par 68, tying with Kim for sixth place.

National team amateur Koo Min-ji shot a 3-under par 69 to finish the first round tied for 11th, while fellow national team amateur Kim Gyu-bin also performed well, carding a 2-under par 70 to rank tied for 16th.

(Photo provided by Aramco Korea Championship, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.