Na Yeon Choi off to slow start at Incheon
South Korean Na Yeon Choi shot a 70 in the first round of LPGA Hana Bank Championship 2012 to tie for the 24th position on the leaderboard.
Choi, who was expected to keep her rivals down at the three-round LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournament, faltered on some holes, missing plenty of good chances to improve
her score.
The tournament is being staged at the Ocean Course, Incheon, South Korea, with the participation of big names like the current world number one Yani Tseng, Stacy Lewis, Ai Miyazato of Japan,
Michelle Wie, Suzann Pettersen and Paula Creamer.
Choi is being regarded as the hot favourite not only because she finished the 2011 edition as a runner-up, but also because of plenty of crowd support she is enjoying at Incheon.
Commentators said that the spectators at Ocean Course are likely to get behind Choi the most, as they want her to keep the title within South Korea this year.
Choi started her round in a jittery style as she failed to handle the ball well on the putting green, carding a bogey. She then parred the next two holes and launched her first birdie on the
par-4 fourth hole.
She drained another birdie on the 6th, offsetting the impact of early bogey.
On the back nine, Choi’s performance remained almost the same. Although she avoided making any bogey, a birdie on the par-5 18th brought her total score to a 70.
Commentators said the South Korean prodigy, who rose to fame after her first major victory at the 2012 US Women’s Open, might have made several errors in the first round, but she is firm to
bounce back in the next two rounds.
During her pre-tournament interview, Choi said that she is sure that she can shine at Incheon once again because a solid crowd support is enough to keep her going.
She said that the course could get tricky this year due to the slightest change in weather conditions, but to players’ surprise, the winds remained calm throughout the day and did not wreak
havoc on the course.
Norwegian Suzann Pettersen also expressed her confidence in the weather condition during her pre-tournament interview, saying she is sure that players will not face hot winds.
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