(Olympics) S. Korean players well off pace after opening round in women’s golf

Three South Korean LPGA Tour players were well off the first-round pace at the women's golf tournament at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday. World No. 3 Amy Yang was the best South Korean after shooting an even 72 at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, south of Paris. She is seven strokes behind the French star Celine Boutier, who played in the same group with Yang and is alone at the top after recording eight birdies against just one bogey. Yang grabbed her ticket to the Paris Olympics on the final weekend of the qualification period in late June after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the third major tournament of the LPGA season. With the top-15 players in the world rankings earning Olympic spots, Yang jumped from No. 25 to No. 5 with her maiden major title. Yang is the only South Korean player to have won on the LPGA Tour so far this year. A dozen other players were even par on Wednesday, including the defending champion from the United States, Nelly Korda, and Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who won silv er in 2016 and bronze in 2021. Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa is alone in second place at four-under par. Yang, who also competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, began her round with back-to-back bogeys but birdied the par-4 fourth. She had a double bogey on the par-4 seventh, but came home with four birdies and a bogey on the back nine. "I had trouble getting the right speed on my putts all day," Yang said. "I was three-over at the turn, and I told myself that I had to get it together. I hit the ball better on the back nine and I'll try to play better the next three rounds." Ko Jin-young, former world No. 1 from South Korea, carded a one-over 73. She had four birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. This is Ko's second straight Olympic Games. "It was chilly out there on the front nine and I made a lot of mistakes on the front nine," Ko said. "Fortunately, I played better on the back nine. It'll be important to keep the ball in the fairway and play some smart golf here." Kim Hyo-joo, Ko's teamma te at the 2021 Olympics, is tied for 40th after shooting a 76, with three birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys. Kim said she often tried to do too much when she ended up in rough, instead of playing it safe. "I have to control my emotions better, put mistakes behind and focus on the next shot," Kim added. Source : Yonhap News Agency