Hyo Joo Kim holds the solo lead at The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America after posting a first-round 64 that very nearly tied the tournament 18-hole scoring record at Old American Golf Club. The Korean golfer had four birdies on the front, including on the par-5 second and sixth holes, and made the turn in 31. After the turn, she made her only bogey on No. 11 before firing four consecutive birdies in a row on Nos. 13-16. A long birdie putt on 18 almost gave her a three-stroke lead over the field and would have etched her name in the record book, but the putt skimmed just right of the hole to put her a -7 after round one.
Kim’s putting on Thursday was clearly the key to her first round success. On the front nine, Kim needed just eight putts and, by the 17th hole, she had only used 17 putts. At the end of the day, she needed just 21 putts overall to end the day on top.
“Including last week, my putting hasn’t been good so I hadn’t been able to hit low scores. But my putting worked really well for the first time in a while so I was able to hit low scores and it was a satisfying day,” Kim said. “I’ve been getting some stress over the last couple tournaments because of putting. I just made sure I wasn’t becoming too sensitive and tried to get the distance right. I think playing it safe allowed me to not miss any birdie chances.”
Kim is no stranger at the top of the leaderboard this season. Though she hasn’t had a win yet in 2023, the five-time LPGA Tour winner has eight top-10 finishes including two runner-up results at the FREED GROUP Women's Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf and the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. In her 16 starts this season, she has also earned three additional top-20 finishes and has not missed a cut. Her last win came in 2022 at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei.
At the Ascendant LPGA, Kim has made four starts and only finished outside on the top-12 once, when she missed the cut in 2016. Last season, she recorded her best finish in the event, a T8 result.
“It’s good that I’m on top of the leaderboard often but it’s disappointing that I’m not at the top at the end of the week. I really want to stay at the top of the leaderboard after this week’s done,” Kim said. “I actually didn’t know I posted those scores (at this tournament) but now that I know the scores, I think I can play with even more confidence.”
Thirteen-year LPGA Tour veteran Azahara Munoz took an early lead during round one, shooting a 5-under 66 at Old American Golf Club while playing in the first group of the day. The Spaniard had seven birdies on the card, which were highlighted by back-to-back chip ins on Nos. 6 and 7, and two bogeys. At the end of the day, she sits in T2 with Tour sophomore Yu-Sang Hou, who shot a bogey-free round and her lowest 18-hole score of the season, and rookie Sofia Garcia, who was also bogey-free on Thursday. All three players are using this week to fight for 2024 LPGA Tour status as they all sit outside the top 100 in the Race to the CME Globe.
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