Park In-bee - © Wojciech Migda via Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons License

LPGA Hall of Fame member In-bee Park took an option to win, making six birdies and taking the lead in the first round of the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif.

The Korean, whose 20 LPGA wins include seven major titles, took the solo lead with her last birdie of the day at 17, outscoring compatriot Kim Hyo-joo in Aviara, north of San Diego ( California).

"Really happy with my turn today, especially I putt really well, so I am really satisfied"said Park, a former world number one currently ranked fourth.

“I know it will take some patience this week with the putting green and since it's my first week I'm probably a little rusty so I'll just try to feel comfortable for the next three. days. "

“If the results are good, that's great. But otherwise, I'm just warming up. "

In the cold and rainy conditions of this first round of the Kia Classic, Kim had set the initial target at 67 (-5). She made eight birdies in a lap scored by two of her three bogeys on 1 and 18.

“Today I made a lot of mistakes that I shouldn't have made. Friday, I can't wait to have a good trip and not make so many mistakes ”said Kim, ranked eighth in the world rankings.

Kim is playing her first event on the LPGA Tour since November 2019. Twice victorious on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) in 2020.

"But I'm really happy to come back to play and even happier that the first round went to my liking", she said.

The German Sophia Popov, the Northern Irish Stephanie Meadow, the English Mel Reid and the South Korean Chun In-gee are tied for third with 68.

They are suddenly ahead of South Korean Amy Yang and American Mina Harigae.

Defending champion Nasa Hataoka of Japan had a tough day with a triple-bogey at 18 and five bogeys scoring 79 (+7)

To consult the Kia Classic leaderboard: click here

To read our last article on the same subject :

Kia Classic: Victory of Nasa Hataoka who wins her 3rd title on the LPGA Tour