유지호
| 2022-10-20 18:03:40
S Korean golfer-LPGA event
World No. 1 Ko not seeking excuses after disastrous start to LPGA event at home
By Yoo Jee-ho
WONJU, South Korea, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- This could not have been the kind of round Ko Jin-young had envisioned as she made a long-awaited return to the LPGA Tour on home soil Thursday.
Ko, world No. 1 in women's golf, shot her LPGA-worst 80 in the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul. At eight-over par, Ko is tied for 76th among 78 players in the four-round event without a cut. She had a quintuple bogey on the par-five 18th after an errant tee shot, along with six bogeys and three birdies.
Ko missed the past two months while nursing a wrist injury. She is the defending champion this week but is unlikely to win her second straight title, with world No. 2 Atthaya Thitikul holding the first round lead at nine-under 63.
"Golf can be like this. Things don't always go the way I want them to," Ko said afterward. "I did the best I could. Whatever the final score is, it's on me to accept that and to figure out where I can get better. I will try to stay positive to get ready for the remaining rounds."
Ko had said earlier this week her wrist wasn't fully healed but she could at least manage the pain.
"I don't want to make any excuse with my wrist. I played hard but didn't score as well as I wanted to," Ko said. "Right now, my primary goal is to wrap up this tournament pain-free."
She was paired with Thitikul, who went bonkers with seven birdies and a hole-out eagle. Ko said she wasn't paying much attention to her playing partner, though.
"I was busy playing my own game. I barely had time to worry about how others were doing," she said. "She was playing so well. I think I learned a lot today."
This was her first 80 since joining the LPGA Tour in 2018. She once shot an 82 at a Korean tour event in 2016.
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