Kim Hyo-joo ties for 2nd place in KPMG Women's PGA Championship

Rain has emerged as a variable of the competition. The opening round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which offers a purse of 3.85 million dollars, was held Friday in Hazeltine National Golf Course (par-72) in Minnesota.

It began to rain in the region from 2:00 p.m., so golfers who started off in the afternoon had to swing their clubs mostly in the rain. With weather forecasts that rain will continue for the following three days and that strong winds are also in store, the rapidly changing weather is expected to serve as an important variable in the game.

Kim Hyo-joo, who luckily avoided rain while playing, finished second with a 3-under par 69, the best among South Korean golfers. Hannah Green (Australia) held a one-shot lead Friday, while Park Sung-hyun, despite her struggle in the rain, managed to be tied for fourth place with a 2-under par 70.

Lee Jeong-eun, who won her first LPGA title at the U.S. Open earlier this month, was tied for 32nd place with a 1-over par 73 at the opening round. Meanwhile, world No. 1 Ko Jin-young who won the ANA Inspiration in April only landed in 102nd place with a 5-under par 77. A total of 156 players have joined the KPMG Championship, and the cut-off score is expected to be around a 3-over par 147.


ysahn@donga.com