Lee Jae-kyung, 24, overcame a bogey to win the KB Financial Live Championship.
Lee carded five birdies and one bogey for a 4-under 68 in the first round of the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour’s KB Financial Live Championship ($700,000) at Blackstone Icheon Golf Club (Par 72) in Gyeonggi Province on Friday.
Lee won the 2019 Woosung General Construction Aramir CC Busan Gyeongnam Open, earning the Rookie of the Year award, and also finished on top at the 2021 Genesis Championship. However, she hasn’t had a winning season since last year. Her approach Ips, which she had been struggling with for about eight years, also caused problems.
He finished runner-up at the Honors K-Solago CC Hanjang Sangin Invitational last season, but failed to crack the top 10 in 14 other events. His only top-10 and runner-up finishes came at the Hanjang Sang Invitational, which uses a modified stableford format.
“My hair was always white before my approach shots,” Lee said. When I wake up in the morning, I focus on my approach shots for about 30 minutes to an hour. My short game was lacking, but as it improved, I felt less pressure and more confident,” she said.
After missing the cut in three consecutive tournaments from the DB Insurance Promotional Opener to the Korea Championship to open the year, he posted three straight top-10 finishes from the GS Caltex Mae Kyung Open in May to the Woori Financial Championship and the SK Telecom Open.
He said, “My performance was not good because I was greedy to do too well. I changed my routine, which is a factor in my rise. I wake up early in the morning to practice,” he said. “I was in the top 10 for three weeks in a row, but I didn’t get greedy and focused on each hole.”스포츠토토
In the first round, it came down to putting on a difficult course. Lee hit 42.86 percent of her shots in the fairways (tied for 106th), 66.67 percent of her shots on the greens (tied for 58th) and averaged 1.58 putts per round (tied for second).
“I had a lot of chances on the front nine, but I didn’t capitalize on them,” he said. “I had a few close calls, but I’m happy with my overall play. I think Blackstone Yichen is a ‘course of patience’. I am very happy with my performance considering the course.”
Behind Lee, Lee Tae-hoon (Canada) and Kim Min-soo are tied for the lead at four under par, while Kim Jae-ho and Seo Yo-seop are tied for fourth at three under par 69. Ham Jeong-woo, Jeon Ga-ram and Kim Dong-min are tied for sixth at 2-under 70.