‘Long-hitting queen’ Bang Shin-sil took a commanding lead on day one of the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open (S$1.1 million purse), the opening event of the 2024 edition of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. The first round was delayed twice due to lightning strikes.
Bang carded seven birdies and no bogeys for a 7-under 65 in the first round at the par-72 Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore on Sunday.
Bang finished the first round with a one-stroke lead over Kim Jae-hee, who was six shots back through 17 holes.
Bang emerged as a breakout star on the KLPGA Tour last year with driver shots over 300 yards. She became known as the “long-hitting queen” with an average driver distance of 262.47 yards, ranking first in the category. She won her dream first title at the E1 Charity Open in May and followed it up with her second podium finish at the Dongbu Construction-Korea Land Trust Championship in October. Although she lost the Rookie of the Year award to Kim Min-byul and Hwang Yoo-min in a fierce competition with the likes of Kim, she made a name for herself among golf fans thanks to her long game.
However, there were some disappointments. Despite winning two titles, she missed the cut seven times. Looking for consistency, Bang focused on improving her driver accuracy during her 40-day winter training program in Thailand. He practiced holding the target and sending the ball there. He knew he needed to stabilize his driver to play consistently.
The work paid off immediately. He hit 85.71% (12/14) of his shots in the fairway and 88.89% (16/18) of his shots on the green. His iron shots were particularly accurate, with all seven of his birdies coming from within five meters, and his mid-range putts were solid. His short game and putts were the result of hard work.
And he didn’t miss a shot. Her longest drive of the day was 290 yards.
“I didn’t hit any driver shots that were too far off the fairway until the last hole, so I thought my accuracy improved. I kept the green on almost every hole, and my mid-range putts fell well, so I was happy with my winter training,” said Bang.
“It’s my first tournament, so I thought I shouldn’t think too much about it and take it one shot at a time. “My goal was to put everything I practiced in training into action on the course,” he said, adding, “My score was so good on the first day that I’m determined to do my best in the remaining matches (to win).
When asked what it would be like to go head-to-head with long hitters like Thailand’s Patti Thawatanakit and Natakrita Wongtawirap, who are also competing in the tournament, she said, “I don’t have any pressure on the distance,” and that she would focus on reducing the score.
The Singaporean media was also curious about the room. The Singaporean media was interested in the fact that she had suffered from hyperthyroidism and asked her how she overcame it.
“I’m almost cured now, so I’m playing in good shape. I always had a positive thought that this disease would get better 메이저토토사이트 quickly, so my body healed quickly and I felt comfortable psychologically,” he said, adding, “I realized that golf is important, but my health is the first thing.”
The day’s play was suspended at 1:30 p.m. local time due to lightning and resumed at 4 p.m. local time. Another lightning strike halted play at 6:50 p.m. local time, forcing the remaining matches to be played the following day.
Playing in the afternoon group, Kim Jae-hee carded five birdies and a bogey through the 17th hole to shoot 6-under par and sit in sole possession of second place, one stroke behind Bang Shin-shil.
Seo Yeon-jung, 29, who won her first title in her 10th year at the KG Ladies Open last September, was tied for third at 5-under 67 with Kim Min-ju, 22, and Lee Ji-young, 23.
Patti Thawatanakit (THA), who has been on a roll since winning back-to-back titles last month at the European Ladies European Tour’s (LET) Aramco Saudi Ladies International and the Honda LPGA Thailand on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour, continued her momentum in the main sponsor event.
Thawatanakit was bogey-free through the 14th hole and carded four birdies to move into a tie for sixth place.
Defending champion Park Ji-young (28) was forced to withdraw from play after being one stroke off the pace through 14 holes and in a tie for 30th, while Lee Ye-won (21), who swept last year’s triple crown of Grand Prize, Money winner, and Best Stroke Golfer, got off to a slow start at 1-over par through 14 holes and tied for 63rd.