Lydia Ko plays on the fourth hole. [Photo=KLPGA]
Lydia Ko plays on the fourth hole. [Photo=KLPGA]

Lydia Ko of New Zealand is in danger of missing the cut at the KLPGA Tour Hana Financial Championship after posting a dismal score in the opening round Thursday.

Ko carded an 8-over-par 80 at The Heaven Country Club (par 72, 6,819 yards) on Daebudo island in Ansan, leaving her tied for 95th. She managed just one birdie against seven bogeys and a double bogey.

The 80 is the worst score of Ko's career — or at least ties it. She has shot 80 on three previous occasions: in the final round of the 2014 Women's British Open, in the second round of the 2020 Drive On Championship, and most recently in the opening round of the 2024 US Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club (par 70), where she finished 10 over par.

To make the cut, Ko will need to fire at least 4 or 5 under par in the second round. The KLPGA Tour's cut line typically falls around the top 60 players including ties, meaning she currently sits four to five strokes or more outside the projected cutline.

The difficult conditions at Daebudo contributed significantly to Ko's struggles. The Heaven Country Club has links-style characteristics typical of Korea's west coast, with wind speed and direction shifting constantly. The course also plays long at 6,819 yards, with narrow fairways and deep rough — conditions that made for a tough opening day for Ko, who is not among the tour's longest hitters.

Ko was not the only prominent player to struggle. Lee Min-ji of Australia and Seo Gyo-rim both finished 3 over par, tied for 39th, while Kim Min-sol was 5 over (tied 74th), Han Jin-seon 7 over (tied 89th), and national team member Oh Su-min 8 over, also tied for 95th alongside Ko.

Park Min-ji shot a hole-out eagle on the par-4 16th hole with a 7-iron to card a 3-under-par 69, sharing the lead with Seong Yu-jin. "The course demanded full concentration for all 18 holes — one lapse and things could go wrong," Park said. "I was able to finish with a good score as a result."

Seong Yu-jin also finished tied for the lead after making a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth hole, draining a 9-iron tee shot from 142 yards. "On this course, being greedy only makes things harder," Seong said. "Rather than getting too caught up in the hole-in-one, I want to stay focused on playing my own game, step by step."

Park Bo-gyeom, who won last week's KB Financial Group Golden Life Championship — a KLPGA major — shot a 2-under-par 70 to join Hwang Yu-min, Yoo Hyeon-jo and Lee Ju-mi in a group tied for third. Park also recorded a hole-in-one on the eighth hole earlier in the day, winning a Carnival Hi-Limousine vehicle valued at 98 million won ($70,000) as a prize.


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