Ina Yoon, in search of her first career LPGA Tour win, carded an eagle on Thursday and is tied for the lead after the first round of the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati.
Yoon and Chella Choi, both of South Korea, are level with Japan’s Rio Takeda after each shot 4-under-par 66 at Maketewah Country Club.
Amanda Doherty, Lilia Vu and South Korea’s Jin Young Ko share fourth place at 3 under. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and England’s Charley Hull are both at 2 under, tied for seventh. Twenty-one players, including world No. 1 Nelly Korda and world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, are level at 1 under.
Yoon finished strong to cap an up-and-down round. Starting on the back nine, she had four birdies and three bogeys through 15 holes. At the par-5 seventh hole, she recorded an eagle, and she added a birdie on the next hole before closing with a par.
“(On) this course, the tee shot is really tough because fairways (are) super narrow and (it) was pretty windy today,” Yoon said. “So, yeah, I missed a lot of fairways today, but I think I made a lot of up and down and good (putts). Yeah, I think putting was great … That’s why I made a lot of par and birdies.”
Yoon recently recorded her best-ever finish in a major, tying for fourth place at the Chevron Championship.
Asked her approach entering this week, Yoon said, “Just try to focus what I’m working on, the range session and putting green. … Just try not to think of (the) result. Just try to focus what … I need to do.”
Choi, whose lone tour win came in 2015, was atop the leaderboard at 6 under through 16 holes. However, she made her only two bogeys of the day to end the round at Nos. 8 and 9. Her right foot slipped on her tee shot at No. 8.
“I was very good scrambling today and (had) some really good (par saves),” Choi said.
Takeda logged five birdies and a lone bogey at No. 12, her third hole of the day.
Korda, coming off back-to-back victories at the Chevron Championship and the Riviera Maya Open, finished with two birdies and one bogey.
“It can get really frustrating out here,” Korda said of Maketewah. “The rough is really thick in some areas, so if you do find the rough it does get a little bit difficult, especially if they start to tuck the pin locations. So going to try and work on my driver a little bit to give myself some more opportunities.”
Thitikul had a far more eventful day. She had a run of four bogeys in five holes on the front nine, then a stretch of five consecutive birdies, and later back-to-back bogeys.
