Hong Jin-young, Seo Eo-jin, amateur Moon A-rin share KLPGA season finale lead

Trio cards 4-under 68 with five birdies, one bogey each

Yoo Hyun-jo, four others one stroke back after hole-in-one

Rivals Kim Min-sol, Seo Gyo-rim tied for 16th

Amateur Moon A-rin tees off on the 12th hole during the first round of the Daebo Housedi Championship at Seowon Hills in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. [KLPGA]

Hong Jin-young, Seo Eo-jin and amateur Moon A-rin share the lead after the opening round of the KLPGA Tour season finale.

The three players each carded a 4-under-par 68 Friday in the first round of the Daebo Housedi Championship at Seowon Hills West and South Course (par 72, 6,649 yards) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which carries a purse of 1.2 billion won ($894,000). Five players — Yoo Hyun-jo, Kim Min-byeol, Choi Eun-woo, Kim Min-seon 7 and Lee Dong-eun — are tied for fourth at 3-under 69, one stroke off the lead.

The standout performance of the day belonged to Yoo. After a birdie on the par-4 sixth hole, Yoo stumbled with bogeys on the par-3 seventh and par-4 10th, but then holed out a second shot for eagle on the par-4 13th. Yoo followed that with a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th, recording back-to-back eagles on consecutive holes. The hole-in-one came with a prize of a bed package worth about 40 million won.

Yoo added a birdie on the par-5 15th but dropped a stroke with a bogey on the par-3 16th, finishing the round at 3-under 69. "Today felt like luck was on my side more than skill," Yoo said. "I'll try to read the course well — knowing when to be aggressive and when to play it safe."

Jang Eun-su, Han Jin-seon, Jeong Yun-ji, Ko Ji-woo and Lee Ye-won are tied for ninth at 2-under 70. Lee, who won last week's S-Oil Championship, fell out of contention after making three consecutive bogeys on the final three holes.

Yoo Hyun-jo raises both arms in celebration after confirming a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th hole during the first round of the Daebo Housedi Championship at Seowon Hills in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. [KLPGA]

Kim Min-sol and Seo Gyo-rim, who are locked in a battle for the season money title and Player of the Year award, both carded even-par 72 to share 16th place. Kim posted an eagle, three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey, while Seo managed four birdies and four bogeys to finish level.

Seo, who skipped last week's tournament with a right rib injury, said the round was acceptable given the time away. "It wasn't bad for someone returning after a while," Seo said. "My distance control on the par-3 holes was off, but if I fix that I can play better tomorrow."

Kim said the atmosphere on the course felt different with so many titles on the line. "There was a cautious mood between Seo and me," Kim said. "We usually joke around and chat, but today we were both so focused we barely spoke."

Kim leads the season money standings with 1.6 billion won, ahead of Seo's 1.41 billion won by about 188.6 million won. In the Player of the Year points race, however, Seo holds a 38-point advantage over Kim, 563 to 525.

With a winner's check of 300 million won on offer, a victory by Seo would hand her the money title unless Kim finishes solo second. In the Player of the Year race, Seo would clinch the award with a top-10 finish, unless Kim wins the tournament outright.

yjc@heraldcorp.com