By Kang Seung-woo
With all eyes on a group featuring defending champion Yani Tseng, two-time winner Choi Na-yeon and Michelle Wie with a huge fan base, Norwegian Suzann Pettersen stole the show Friday at the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship in Incheon.
The 31-year-old Oslo native sunk nine birdies including six on the front nine for a course-record 9-under 63 to take a 1-stroke lead over Sweden’s Karin Sjodin in the opening round of the $1.8 million tournament that she topped in 2007.
Three Koreans ― Kim Ha-neul, Moon Hyun-hee and Ryu So-yeon ― shared third place in a five-way tie that also included Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Spanish Azahara Munoz at 66, while Kim Hyo-joo, who made her pro debut in front of local fans, finished tied for ninth with a 4-under.
Pettersen, who is an eight-time LPGA Tour winner but has been winless since her last LPGA Tour triumph at the Safeway Classic in August 2011, was satisfied her record-setting performance in Day 1.
“Being three rounds, you want to get off to a hot start and I can’t complain with today’s round,” said Pettersen, who also set a course-record last week at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
“I got off to a good start, had the feel of the greens this morning, worked really hard to kind of feel the speed yesterday and made some great putts and obviously some great shots,” said Pettersen. “Overall very solid round, 18 greens, 27 putts equals 9 under par.”
Sjodin gave long birdie putts credit for her solid start.
“I was hitting the ball really solid but maybe not very straight at all times,” she said.
“The birdies I made were long putts. I hit it close three times and missed all three. It seems to be a good idea to hit it far away and make long putts.”
Moon, a two-time Korea LPGA Tour champion, surprised the field earlier the day, sitting atop the leaderboard at one point.
“I think overall I played really well today and I putted very well,” she said.
“My score has not been really good lately, and I heard this time everybody goes to fun, so I kind of wanted to boost my confidence, and I think I did it today.”
Struggling Tseng, who has gone 11 straight LPGA Tour events without a top 10 along with 16 consecutive rounds without breaking 70, showed a glimpse of returning to her old self that made the Taiwanese golfer the world No. 1 for 88 consecutive weeks and a 15-time winner on the U.S. tour.
The 23-year-old, who lifted the trophy last year in Korea after defeating the two-time reigning champion Choi by one shot, was at 2-under including an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole on her first nine holes and made three straight birdies on the final three holes to sit eighth alone.
World Golf Hall of Famer Pak Se-ri, the the inaugural champion of the tournament in 2002, carded a 2-under 70 to tie for 24th after cancelling out her two bogeys and double bogey with six birdies and Park In-bee and Choi, who finished first and second, respectively, at the Sime Derby LPGA Malaysia last week, also closed the first round at 2-under.
Wie, playing on a sponsor invitation, finished tied in 44th place with a 1-over 73.