Jung So-i takes solo lead at S-OIL Championship, chases first career win

Five birdies in final 6 holes; 1 stroke ahead of Lee Ye-won

Money leader Kim Min-sol starts tied 34th

Jung So-i tees off on the 10th hole during the first round of the 20th S-OIL Championship on the KLPGA Tour at Elysian Jeju Country Club in Jeju on Thursday. [KLPGA]

Jung So-i seized the solo lead after the first round of the 20th S-OIL Championship on the KLPGA Tour, which carries a purse of 1 billion won ($748,000), setting the stage for the first victory of her career.

Jung carded nine birdies and three bogeys for a 6-under-par 66 at Elysian Jeju Country Club (par 72) in Jeju on Thursday, finishing one stroke ahead of second-place Lee Ye-won, who shot a 5-under 67.

Starting on the 10th hole, Jung built early momentum with three consecutive birdies beginning at the par-3 12th, including an 8.1-meter birdie putt at the par-5 14th. Jung stumbled with a bogey at the par-3 16th, then dropped two more strokes on the back nine with three-putts on the par-4 2nd and par-3 3rd holes.

Jung found her footing down the stretch, reeling off three straight birdies from the 4th through the 6th holes and adding two more on the 8th and 9th to close out the round. Five birdies over the final six holes secured the top spot.

Jung joined the KLPGA in 2020 and has yet to win on the regular tour. Jung has recorded three top-10 finishes this season but missed the cut in each of her two most recent starts.

Lee Ye-won posted a bogey-free round with five birdies to claim sole second place. Lee, who has one win this season, has finished in the top 10 in five of her last six events, maintaining an upward trajectory.

Defending champion Ko Ji-won sits tied for third after shooting a 4-under 68, which included an eagle, five birdies, one bogey and one double bogey. Ko holed out from roughly 100 meters on the par-5 18th for the eagle. A native of Jeju, Ko claimed both of her wins last year at tournaments held in her hometown.

Gil Ye-ram, Yang Hyo-jin, Kim Na-hyun, Seo Eo-jin, Lee Ji-hyun and Seong Yu-jin also finished tied for third alongside Ko.

Kim Min-sol, looking to lock up the season money title, opened with an even-par 72 — two birdies, two bogeys — to sit tied for 34th.

Kim leads the money standings this season with three wins and four runner-up finishes, having earned 1.59 billion won. Second-place Seo Gyo-rim has earned 1.41 billion won, leaving a gap of approximately 176.86 million won between them.

Jo A-yeon holds a retirement ceremony during the first round of the 20th S-OIL Championship on the KLPGA Tour at Elysian Jeju Country Club in Jeju on Thursday. [KLPGA]

With only two tournaments remaining in the season including this one, Kim can clinch the money title outright with a win here, regardless of the final event's outcome. A solo 20th-place finish or better would also push her single-season earnings past 1.6 billion won — a first in KLPGA Tour history.

Kim also sits second in the player-of-the-year points standings with 525 points, trailing leader Seo Gyo-rim by 38 points. A win here, worth 70 points, would lift Kim to the top of those standings as well. Seo is not competing this week due to rib pain.

Meanwhile, Jo A-yeon, the 2019 rookie of the year and a four-time winner on the KLPGA Tour, will retire after this tournament. Jo announced the decision on SNS on Friday and shot a 1-over 73 — one birdie, two bogeys — on Thursday to sit tied for 47th.

yjc@heraldcorp.com