Yoo Hyun-jo Takes Solo Lead on Day 1 of KLPGA Tour Iceberg Golf-Seoul Shinmun Open

Yoo Hyun-jo has climbed to the top of the leaderboard alone on the first day of the Korea Women's Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour Iceberg Golf-Seoul Shinmun Open.

Playing in the first round of the tournament held at H1 Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Yoo shot 5-under-par with one eagle, four birdies, and one bogey.

She placed herself at the very top of the leaderboard, leading the tied-for-second group, which includes Song Eun-a, by one stroke.

Having secured her second win of the season and fourth career victory at the HJ Heavy Industries-Dongbu Construction Championship held last week, Yoo is now aiming for back-to-back victories.

Yoo had a promising start on her opening hole, the par-4 1st, by sinking her second shot directly into the cup for a shot eagle. Although she bogeyed the 3rd hole, she added four more birdies afterward to finish the first round as the sole leader.

Five players, including Song Eun-a, Lee Seung-yeon, Ma Seo-young, Ahn Song-yi, and Sung Yu-jin, shot 4-under-par to tie for second place, one stroke behind Yoo.

Kim Min-sol, the leader in the season prize money rankings, shot 3-under-par to tie for 7th place alongside Lee Ji-hyun (Lee Ji-hyun 3) and Kim Min-joo.

Seo Kyo-rim, who leads this season in multiple wins (4 wins), grand prix points, and scoring average, struggled on the first day, finishing at 7-over-par in a tie for 96th place.

This tournament features a large contingent of overseas-based stars, including world No. 3 Ryu Hae-ran, Yoon Ina, Ko Jin-young, Park Sung-hyun, and Lee Jeong-eun (Lee Jeong-eun 6).

Among them, Lee Jeong-eun had the best start on the first day, tying for 10th place at 2-under-par, while former world No. 1s Ko Jin-young and Park Sung-hyun finished side-by-side tied for 15th at 1-under-par.

Ryu Hae-ran, who claimed two major titles on the LPGA Tour this season and conquered the domestic major Hite Jinro Championship earlier this month, had a sluggish start in the first round, tying for 76th place at 4-over-par.

Yoon Ina, in her second year on the LPGA Tour with two runner-up finishes this season and sitting 6th in prize money rankings, also struggled alongside Ryu at 4-over-par, making for a rough opening day.

The tournament, which features a total purse of 1.5 billion won and a 270 million won prize for the champion, runs through Sunday, October 18.

(Photo: Provided by KLPGA)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.