Seeking third straight win, Park shares first day lead at Celltrion Queens Masters “The next two days, please, just like today”
Park Min-ji got off to a strong start in her quest for a third consecutive victory after sharing the first round lead at the Celltrion Queens Masters on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. 메이저놀이터
Park carded five birdies and no bogeys for a 5-under 67 on the first day of the tournament at Seolhaewon The Legend Course (Par 72-6678) in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, on Monday to join Hwang Yoo-min, Lee Ye-won, Park Joo-young and Lee Seung-yeon in a six-way tie for the lead.
This is the fourth edition of the tournament, which Park won at Seo Seoul CC in 2021 and successfully defended her title last year at the Seohaewon course. Three consecutive titles in a single event on the KLPGA Tour, which was founded in 1978, is a record set by the late Koo Ok-hee, who did it three times, and Kang Soo-yeon, Park Se-ri and Kim Hae-rim, who did it once.
Playing in the morning group, Park Min-ji birdied the first hole (par-5) before dropping one shot at the fourth (par-3) and sixth (par-5) before adding birdies at the 12th (par-4) and 14th (par-5) to finish.
Park said, “Today, I was more concerned about hitting shots with no regrets than my score. I’m really happy that I was able to achieve such a good result,” said Park. “I’m in contention for the title again, so I’m going to play the remaining two days like I did today.” Park, who will compete in the US Women’s Open in July, said, “I’m thinking of playing well in Korea before then and going with confidence. However, there are many important tournaments in Korea before that, including the title defense, so I don’t have any special preparations.”
Returning from maternity leave, “mom golfer” Park Joo-young carded six birdies and one bogey to share the lead and secure her first career victory. Park, who started on the 10th hole, dropped three shots in the first half and added three more birdies in the second half to take a one-shot lead through six holes before missing a 1.8-meter par putt on the par-4 ninth.
South Korean rookie Hwang Yoo-min had six birdies and one bogey, while Lee Ye-won had five birdies without a bogey.
Five others, including Park Ji-young, Kim Soo-ji and Lee So-mi, were tied for seventh at 4-under 68, setting up a fierce battle for the title.
‘Super Rookie’ Bang Shin-sil, playing in her first event after securing a regular tour seed with her win at the E1 Charity Open, shot a 2-under 70 with five birdies and three bogeys to start in a tie for 15th.