Phuket: South Korea's Ko Ji-U defied the challenging hilly layout of the Blue Canyon Country Club to fire a scintillating seven-under-par 65, matching the tournament record after the opening round of the US$800,000 Blue Canyon Ladies Championship 2025 yesterday.
Ranked 36th on the KLPGA Tour, the 22-year-old Ko delivered a stellar performance, carding nine birdies against two bogeys on the par-72 layout. Her impressive round gave her a one-shot lead over compatriot Park Bok-Yeom in the season-opener of the KLPGA Tour.
"Since it was the first day of the season, I was very nervous," Ko admitted. "But instead of feeling scared or anxious, I focused on my game."
Ko's 65 equalled the tournament low round, set by Park Min-Ji in the second round last year. She credited her precision strikes with short irons and wedges for her red-hot start.
"My iron shots were solid, and since the course is short, I played a lot of wedge shots. I hardly made any mistakes with them, so most of my birdie putts were from close range. That really helped me get a good score today," said Ko, who finished tied for 26th in last year's edition.
A trio of South Koreans, Choi Min-Kyung, Park Ji-Young, and Song Eu-Na, posted 67s to sit two shots off the lead.
Thailand's Patcharajutar Kongkraphan and Naphatsawan Pabsimma kept themselves in contention with matching rounds of 68, three strokes adrift of the leader.
Former Thai LPGA No.1 Patcharajutar got off to a flying start with birdies on Nos.10 and 11 but stumbled with a bogey on No.13 before bouncing back with three more birdies.
"Actually, I was worried about my driver, but I controlled my shots well," said Patcharajutar, whose best KLPGA finish was a third place at the 2024 Hana Financial Group Championship. "I had a great start with two birdies but made a poor tee shot that found the water. Overall, though, it was still a very good round for me because I stayed focused."
Meanwhile, Naphatsawan, last year's Color Tour Order of Merit winner, produced a bogey-free round to stay within striking distance.
"I didn't drive the ball well, but my approach shots and putting helped me score," said the 24-year-old. "Tomorrow, I'll try to improve my driving while maintaining my accuracy on approaches and putts."
