Choi Hyejin's Flawless Play... 'Nine Birdies, No Bogeys'
The Annika Driven: Tied for the lead at 9 under in Round 1
Two runner-up finishes in her last three events, on a steep upswing
Korda Nelly fourth, Yoon Ina fifth, Yoo Haeran 31st
Hyejin Choi got off to a perfect start.
On November 13 (Korea time), Hyejin Choi fired a 9-under-par 61 in the first round of The Annika Driven, an LPGA Tour event held at Pelican Golf Club (par 70, 6,349 yards) in Belleair, Florida, to take the top spot on the leaderboard. Minami Katsu of Japan also joined her in a tie for the lead.
Choi Hyejin hits a tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of The Annika driven. Bel-Air=AP-Yonhap News
View original imageChoi carded nine birdies without a bogey. She got off to a good start with her first birdie on the second hole (par 4), then made four strokes under par on the front nine with consecutive birdies on the sixth and seventh holes and another on the ninth (par 3). She moved into the lead with four consecutive birdies from the 12th through the 15th holes, then added another on the final hole, the 18th (par 4). Her accurate shots stood out: she missed just two fairways and one green. She needed 27 putts for the round.
Choi made her LPGA Tour debut in 2022 but has yet to win. She has recorded 36 career top-10 finishes. This year, she has made seven top-10s, including two runner-up finishes, in 27 tournaments. Choi has been on a steep upswing, contending for wins in each of her last three tournaments: the Buick LPGA Shanghai last month (second place), the BMW Ladies Championship (tied for second) and the Maybank Championship (tied for ninth).
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Lindy Duncan was third (8-under 62), world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States was fourth (7-under 63), and Ina Yoon was tied for fifth (6-under 64). Mao Saigo and Erika Hara, both of Japan, were among those tied for ninth (5-under 65). Arim Kim, Minji Kang and Jeongeun Lee 5 finished tied for 20th (4-under 66), while Haeran Yoo and Jinyoung Ko finished tied for 31st (3-under 67).
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