Kim Hyo-joo, Hwang Yu-min fire 6-under despite jet lag to share second at Lotte Open

LPGA Tour regulars Kim Hyo-joo and Hwang Yu-min came out firing in the opening round of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Open, sharing second place after a strong start Thursday.

Both players carded 6-under-par 66 at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club's America/Australasia Course (par 72) in Incheon's Seo-gu, joining Moon Jeong-min, Lee Se-hee and Lee Seung-yeon in a tie for second.

The two had returned to Korea after competing in last week's KPMG Women's PGA Championship, an LPGA Tour major, and entered the tournament despite jet lag and the fatigue of long-distance travel — showing the form expected of title contenders from the very first round.

Kim, who played in the afternoon wave in strong winds, made seven birdies against one bogey to post her 66. Hwang, who teed off in the morning, was bogey-free with six birdies.

"I came back to Korea Tuesday afternoon and could not sleep properly because of the jet lag — I kept waking up every two hours," Kim said. "I was up at 5 a.m. today as well. I do not have any special secret for managing my energy; I just do some light stretching in the morning. More than anything, I think the most important thing is to rest as well as I can whenever I get the chance."

Kim added that her ball-striking had felt off heading into the week. "I was worried because my shot feel had not been good since last week," she said. "On Wednesday I kept my practice session short but intense to try to find my rhythm, and that really paid off in Thursday's round. On the front nine I was not making many birdies, so I thought three under for the day would be fine — but on the back nine my iron play and putting clicked, and I was able to finish with a score I am really happy with."

Hwang credited her iron play and putting for the clean card. "Everything except my tee shots was working well — my irons and my putter — so I was able to put up a good score," she said. "The rough at Bears Best Cheongna was not as long as I expected, so there was not much pressure off the tee, and that let me play in a much more relaxed frame of mind."

Little-known Park Ye-ji surged to a surprise lead at 7-under-par 65, carding eight birdies against one bogey to sit one stroke clear heading into the second round. Park had missed the cut at this event in each of the past two years, but she has added roughly 15 meters to her average driving distance this season and looks like a transformed player.

In her third year on tour, Park has yet to win on the KLPGA's main circuit. Her best result this season was a tie for ninth at last month's Celltrion Queens Masters. "Honestly, winning is my biggest goal," she said. "But if I fixate too much on the result, I can end up rushing my play without realizing it. I will keep winning as my target, but for the remaining rounds I want to stay calm and focus on the process — one hole at a time, just like today."

Lee Jae-yun carded 5-under 67 to sit seventh outright, while Lee Ye-won shot 4-under 68 to join No Seung-hee, Ji Han-sol, Han Jin-sun, Ma Da-som and Yang Hyo-jin in a tie for eighth.

Kim Min-sol, chasing her fourth win of the season, opened with 3-under 69 to share 21st alongside Choi Hye-jin, Yoo Hyun-jo, Lee Da-yeon and Bae So-hyeon. Seo Gyo-rim, seeking her third victory of the season, is tied for 35th after a 2-under 70.