The 23-year-old, ranked 51st on the KLPGA Tour, carded six birdies, including three consecutive ones from holes 11 to 13, to post an impressive first-round score of six-under-par 66, securing a one-stroke lead over compatriots Hwang Jeong-Mee, Cho Ay-Ean, Han Jin-Seon, and Jo Hye-Lim in the tournament’s inaugural edition in the Kingdom.
“I didn’t perform well in the season-opening KLPGA event in Singapore because I placed a lot of pressure on myself,” said Kim, who turned professional in 2022.
“So, this week I tried to relax a bit, and that’s why I had a good score today. I didn’t achieve good results last year as I was too hard on myself,” added Kim, whose best result on the KLPGA Tour was a 3rd place at the S-Oil Championship in 2022.
Hwang, also with an unblemished scorecard, shot five birdies, including three on the back nine, for a first-round 67. The 30th ranked player on the KLPGA Tour has one title under her belt, which she secured back in 2022.
Cho, who claimed two KLPGA victories two years ago, had a roller-coaster round where she fired eight birdies against a double bogey on the 14th hole and a bogey on the fifth to sit a stroke off the lead.
KLPGA No.23 Han, the two-time winner of the High 1 Resort Ladies Open in 2022 and 2023, started the day with a bogey but recovered to fire six birdies, also ending with a 67. The 65th ranked Jo, who won two Dream Tour titles in 2022, hit a 67 without dropping any shots.
Phannarai Meesom-us emerged as the best Thai player on the day after she sank seven birdies against a double bogey on No.11 and a bogey on No.16 for a 68.
“I played smoothly on the front nine but started making errors on the back. I hit the ball to the left a bit and ended up with a double. But I managed to fight my way back to hit birdies, especially on the final hole, which I think was pure luck,” said the 20-year-old, looking for her maiden victory after finishing as runner-up twice on the Thailand Mixed Tour in 2021 and the Thai LPGA Tour in 2023.
“Playing alongside KLPGA players is a great experience for me. They are so concentrated, and even when they make mistakes, they recover quickly and hit the ball steadily,” the young Thai said while praising KLPGA players.
Other Thai hopes Pornanong Phatlum and three-time Thai LPGA No.1 Patcharajutar Kongkraphan each shot a 70 to sit four strokes off the lead.
The winner will pocket a top prize purse of $117,000 while there are special prizes for exceptional feats on the course, such as a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th hole.