Olympic champ Lydia Ko three behind leaders at LPGA BMW event in South Korea after first day

SEOUL – Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko shot a five-under 67 on Oct 17 to finish three shots off the lead after the first round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea. The New Zealander triumphed at the Paris Olympics in early August and ended an eight-year Major drought at the Women’s British Open at St Andrews two weeks later.

The 27-year-old had five birdies and no bogeys at Seowon Valley Country Club to stay within striking distance of leading trio of South Korean Jenny Shin, Australian Hannah Green and South African Ashleigh Buhai. Ko, the 2022 champion, said she was satisfied after a “solid” start. “I didn’t really put myself in that many difficult positions,” said the world No. 3, who also won the LPGA Queen City Championship in Los Angeles in September.

“This is kind of a golf course where if you hit the ball well, you can set up and give yourself a lot of birdie opportunities.” Ko, who was born in South Korea before moving to New Zealand when she was four, said she also “left a lot of putts out there”. “But I think it’s because I hit like 16 or 17 greens,” she added. “So it’s always a good place to be at, and just overall a good start to this event.”

Defending champion Minjee Lee matched Ko’s 67 to be one of 11 golfers tied for 11th place. The leading trio all posted rounds that featured eight birdies and no bogeys. Green, the world No. 8, said it was “nice to play some simple golf”. “Last week in China I just had a very mixed scorecard, made some bigger numbers, and just to go bogey-free was really nice but it also helps when you hit 18 greens,” she said.

“I think I only missed one fairway.”
South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran was one shot behind the leading pack after a 65.
World No. 2 American Lilia Vu finished tied-56th on 71 while two-time Major winner Yuka Saso carded a 69. AFP