South Korean Jenny Shin grabbed a share of the first-round lead at the lone LPGA tournament held on her home soil Thursday.

Shin fired a bogey-free round of eight-under 64 to start the BMW Ladies Championship at Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. Shin, whose Korean birth name is Ji-eun, hit all 14 fairways and reached 17 greens in regulation. The 64 was Shin’s best opening-round score of 2024.

Shin, who has one career LPGA win, is tied atop the leaderboard with Hannah Green of Australia and Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa.

“I usually struggle on Korean golf courses, but I think I let go of that expectation of being a Korean and needing to show a certain result. I think I’ve always had a very high expectation of that,” Shin said. “I think I just stayed patient and let myself shine without trying so hard. There’s so much golf left. So I’m just going to stay patient and keep grinding.”

Another South Korean player, Ryu Hae-ran, is alone in fourth place
after shooting a 65. She had eight birdies against one bogey.

Ryu is one of just two South Korean players to win on the LPGA Tour this year, along with Amy Yang.

“I think overall, I hit (the ball) very well today and created a lot of opportunities,” Ryu said. “There were some missed opportunities here and there, and so in the remaining three rounds, I’m going to focus on playing rounds that leave no regret.”

Three more South Koreans, Choi Hye-jin, Sung Yu-jin and Ji Eun-hee, each shot a 66 to tie for fifth.

Minjee Lee, the defending champion from Australia, carded a 67 to sit in an 11-way tie for 11th place.

Source: Yonhap News Agency