▲ Kim Min-sol of South Korea (L) smiles while walking off the 10th tee during the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Golf Club in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on Oct. 20, 2022, in this photo provided by BMW Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Kim Min-sol of South Korea (L) tees off on the 10th hole during the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Golf Club in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on Oct. 20, 2022, in this photo provided by BMW Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

LPGA tournament-player

S. Korean amateur golfer takes advice from world No. 1 to heart

By Yoo Jee-ho

WONJU, South Korea, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- When training overseas last winter to prepare for the 2022 season, South Korean amateur golfer Kim Min-sol roomed with none other than Ko Jin-young, world No. 1 in women's golf and a 13-time LPGA champion.

Kim, a 16-year-old high school freshman, took full advantage of the opportunity to pick the brain of the top-ranked female golfer. And Kim put some of the lessons to good use Thursday, when she fired an eight-under 64 to take a clubhouse lead in the opening round of the BMW Ladies Championship, the lone LPGA event held in South Korea.

Kim, the reigning Korea Junior Golf Championship winner, was one of two amateurs to receive a special invitation to the tournament, being held at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul.

"I just asked her a lot of questions and she took really great care of me," Kim said after her blistering first round, which featured nine birdies at the par-72, 6,647-yard track. "I was able to learn so much from her. I am grateful for her support and hopefully we will both play well here the rest of the way."

Kim said she peppered Ko with questions about play around the green.

"She told me approach shots around the green require so much focus," Kim said. "I always try to keep that in mind."

Kim was paired with LPGA veterans Nasa Hataoka of Japan, a six-time LPGA winner, and Lizette Salas of the United States, who has won twice.

"I have so much respect for these pros, and I realized just how much I have to learn. I am confident in my iron shots, but I still have a long ways to go to catch them," Kim said. "I could see that the short game is extremely important on the tour."

Kim said the key to her early success was her iron play. She collected four consecutive birdies, starting on the third hole, and she said she left herself with relatively short birdie attempts thanks to her iron shots.

"I felt really good with my ball striking," she said. "I wasn't really nervous out there today."

Kim is playing with house money this week and has nothing to lose, though expectations might have been heightened after her stunning first round.

"I think it will be important for me to take it one hole at a time," Kim said. "Instead of trying to match today's score tomorrow, I will just have to stay focused on each and every hole. If you're too aggressive on this course, things can go sideways pretty quickly."

If Kim pulls out a victory here this weekend, she will be eligible for LPGA membership. With 54 holes to go, though, turning pro and going overseas was not on Kim's mind yet.

"I will have to speak to my parents first," Kim said with a smile.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]