Tournament Highlights Round 1 – Wednesday, November 5, 2024

A LIM KIM CLAIMS FIRST-ROUND LEAD IN HAWAII

With 18 holes down at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, major champion A Lim Kim ascended to the top of the leaderboard after a 6-under 66 in Ewa Beach. The 29-year-old, who first won on Tour at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open and claimed Membership starting the following season, holds her first 18-hole lead on Tour since the 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. She’s making her third appearance in the LOTTE Championship, where she made the cut in both previous starts.

“Same as last week, two weeks ago. My prepare and process, everything is same, same as every weeks,” said Kim of her gameplan this week at Hoakalei. “I'm going to focus onspeed control, putting speed control, and then wedge number game.

Kim opened in the most perfect way – an eagle on No. 1, the only player to make an eagle on the first hole on Wednesday. She went on to birdie Nos. 3 and 4, and made another on No. 9 to go out in 31, tying her lowest nine-hole score of the season. She cancelled out a bogey on 10 with a birdie on the par-5 11th, and closed with two birdies (Nos. 13, 18) and a bogey (No. 14) to shoot her lowest 18-hole score since the Kroger Queen City Championship in September.

Kim, who has never missed a CME Group Tour Championship since becoming a Member, entered the LOTTE Championship No. 65 in the Race to CME Globe Points List. A win could secure her place in the LPGA Tour’s season finale, but lurking are multiple players looking to do the same. Five players sit in a tie for second (-5), all looking to become Rolex First-Time Winners this season: Peiyun Chien, Bianca Pagdanganan, Ruixin Liu, Polly Mack and Perrine Delacour. Starting the week, none were eligible for the CME Group Tour Championship – but it’s been a goal for players like Chien, who finished in a tie for fourth at Hoakalei in 2023.

“Actually I was going to skip this week but I really need CME point to get into CME, so I choose to play this week. Hopefully my choice is correct, ” said Chien. “I really want to get

in. I really want to play.”

There are 11 players tied for 10th (-1), including 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Champion Jasmine Suwannapura, one of two 2024 LPGA Tour winners competing this week. Jennifer Song, who is also tied for 10th, carded her second hole-in-one in 2024 on No. 15 from 128 yards en route to her 1-under 71. Ayaka Furue – who won The Amundi Evian Championship in and is the highest ranked Rolex Rankings player in the field – is tied with 22 other players at 2-under (T21). Defending champion Grace Kim shot an even-par 72 (T57) at the site of her first LPGA Tour title last season.

LEADERBOARD - Round 1

   Player           To par Score
1  A Lim Kim          -6    66
T2 Peiyun Chien       -5    67
T2 Bianca Pagdanganan -5    67
T2 Ruixin Liu         -5    67
T2 Polly Mack         -5    67
T2 Perrine Delacour   -5    67