JOH SHOOTS CAREER LOW TO TAKE FIRST ROUND LEAD
31-year-old San Diegan Tiffany Joh had nine birdies on her way to a career-low 62 (-9) on Thursday to build a four-stroke advantage on the field thru the first round at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open. Joh holds the lead over a trio of Korean LPGA winners including In-Kyung Kim, Amy Yang and Jenny Shin, who all posted 5-under par 66s to open the tournament.
TIFF’S TIME?
Tiffany Joh’s record-breaking score gives her the overnight lead after the opening round in a tournament for the first time in her LPGA career. She has held at least a share of an overnight lead once in her career – Joh co-led the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open heading into the final round and finished T12.
Joh’s four-stroke lead is the largest first-round lead on the LPGA this year. She will attempt to become the seventh Rolex First-Time winner of the 2018 LPGA season.
STRONG START FOR THE SCOTS
Three of the seven Scottish players in the field finished above the hypothetical cutline (top 70 and ties) after the first round in Scotland. Rolex Rankings No. 527 Kelsey MacDonald, playing in her fourth career LPGA tournament and second Ladies Scottish Open, paced the group with a 4-under 67, while 2019 European Solheim Cup Team Captain and Gullane Golf Club member Catriona Matthew carded a 2-under 69.
Matthew was the last player from Scotland to win on the LPGA Tour at the 2011 Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
On the prospect of winning in Scotland, MacDonald said, “It would just be an amazing thing to do, on home turf and have sponsors, you know, and I'm an ambassador for them so that would be fantastic. It's a strong, strong field and I've just got to keep plodding away, and you never know.”
KOREANS REMAIN A THREAT ON THE LINKS
Three Korean players in second place (In-Kyung Kim, Amy Yang, Jenny Shin) will aim to add their name to the Ladies Scottish Open winner’s club next to 2017 champion and fellow Korean Mi Hyang Lee. Korean players swept the Scottish and British Opens in 2017 with Lee’s win and Kim’s maiden major championship victory at the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
Six different Korean players have won on the LPGA in 2018, yet Kim, Yang and Shin are all winless this year.
YOUNGEST GOES LOW
The youngest player in the field, 19-year-old LET rookie Karoline Lund, posted a 4-under par 67 in her first official LPGA event and is tied for fifth. The Norwegian has one top-10 finish in six LET starts this year.
“It's so cool to just compete against those that have been your idols, like your whole life, and you've only watched them on television,” Lund said. “It's really nice to be here and compete against them and see how the level is.”
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 171 Tiffany Joh (1, -8)
- Joh’s opening round 62 is the lowest score of her LPGA career can matches her lowest round to par at 8-under (shot 8-under 64 at 2018 Bank of Hope Founders Cup)
- Joh had nine birdies during her bogey-free round including four consecutive on holes 10-13
- Joh has three career top-10 finishes on the LPGA since her rookie season in 2011, including a career-best runner-up result at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic
- In 2018, Joh has made 11 of 17 cuts (season-best T13 at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open)
- Joh missed the cut at last year’s Ladies Scottish Open
- Joh has held at least a share of an overnight lead once in her career – she co-led the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open heading into the final round and finished T12
- Joh had surgery in January of 2017 after doctors found melanoma on her scalp – she received a cancer-free diagnosis the next month
- Joh is a two-time winner on the Epson Tour
Rolex Rankings No. 7 In-Kyung Kim (T2, -5)
- Kim is a 7-time LPGA winner looking for her first win since the 2017 Ricoh Women’s British Open, one of three wins last year
- Kim has three top-10 finishes in 2018 including a runner-up at the LPGA Volvik Championship
- Kim finished T9 at last year’s Ladies Scottish Open and has missed the cut just once in 10 starts at the Ricoh Women’s British Open
- Kim will be a member of #1 seed Team Republic of Korea at the 2018 UL International Crown
- Kim has three additional wins on the LET
Rolex Rankings No. 27 Amy Yang (T2, -5)
- Yang has 60 career top-10 finishes and three LPGA victories, with her last coming at the 2017 Honda LPGA Thailand
- Yang has six top-15 finishes in 12 starts in 2018
- Yang ranks seventh on Tour in scoring average (69.92)
- Yang has two additional wins on the LET and one win on the KLPGA
Rolex Rankings No. 53 Jenny Shin (T2, -5)
- Shin has one LPGA career to her name (2016 Volunteers of America Texas Shootout) and also has one win on the Epson Tour
- Shin has two top-10 finishes in 2018 including a runner-up at the HSBC Women’s World Championship
- Shin won the 2006 U.S. Girls Junior at 13 years old over Vicky Hurst
OF NOTE
- Defending champion Mi Hyang Lee opened her title defense with a 3-over par 74
- Lee came from nine strokes back heading into the weekend to win last year’s Ladies Scottish Open
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