South Korea’s Bang Shin-sil fired a flawless seven-under-par 65 to seize the clubhouse lead on a weather-affected opening day of the Hana Financial Group Hana Singapore Women’s Open on Thursday.
Related: Vani Kapoor banking on local knowhow at Singapore Women’s Open
More than two hours of play were lost due to the threat of thunderstorms in the afternoon, and 54 players will need to return to the Tanah Merah Country Club on Friday to complete their first round.
Bang has a one-shot lead over Kim Jae-jee, who’s on a hot streak before the play was suspended.
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Jae-hee was on six-under with one hole to be played.
Vani Kapoor had a disappointing start to her campaign at the Hana Financial Group Hana Singapore Women’s Open. Vani had two birdies against five bogeys, as she carded 3-over 75 and was lying T90.
A trio of Korean players — Lee Je-yeong, Kim Min-ju, and Seo Yeun-jung — carded matching 67s to be tied for provisional third, while Park Bo-kyeom and Park Do-eun were one shot further back in joint sixth
Promising Filipina amateur Rianne Mikhaela Malixi stole the spotlight by posting a solid 69, placing her in a tie for 10th.
Notable contenders Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand, reigning KLPGA Tour Money List winner Lee Ye-won, and defending champion Park Ji-young were grouped together and teed off at 12:45 p.m. They were among those unable to finish their rounds.
LPGA Tour star Patty lived up to her strong reputation, notching four birdies to sit four-under through 13 holes. Ji-young and Ye-won, on the other hand, were at one-under and one-over respectively.
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No one capitalised on the morning action better than Bang, who birdied seven of her last 12 holes to launch a resounding start.
Bang, who is making her debut at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open this week, expressed relief that the conditions weren’t as hot and humid as she had initially expected.
“It wasn’t as hot as I expected,” she said.
“Generally, the shots and play went much smoother than I anticipated. There wasn’t a single shot that didn’t go well.
“Overall, I’m pleased with my performance it was pretty good.”
Bang entered the KLPGA Tour’s season-opener with the goal of building on her impressive rookie campaign from last year.
She clinched victory twice and secured seven other top-10 finishes, ultimately finishing the season in ninth place on the Money List.
What made her achievements even more remarkable was her battle with hyperthyroidism during the mid-season — a condition characterised by the overproduction of thyroid hormones.
Since then, she has recovered and made a stylish comeback.
“As a rookie, winning the first two titles was incredibly significant for me. It was a great accomplishment,” said Bang.
“Dealing with the illness was quite challenging. But now I’m fully recovered and back in excellent condition.
“During that time, I tried to maintain a positive mindset, believing that things will improve and I’ll recover soon.
“These kinds of thoughts really helped me during my recovery. They put my mind at ease.”
Kim, who finished tied for ninth place during the inaugural HFGSWO in
December 2022, looks set to mount another strong following a fine start.
“To not think about winning would be a lie but I will just keep doing my thing and doing my best,” said Kim after mixing six birdies with a lone bogey.”
Je-yeong was pleased to overcome a rough start and put herself in early contention for a potential breakthrough victory but refused to get carried away.
“After I hit the bogey, I started finding my pace and grip back, so that’s why I was able to get a few birdies. I felt more at peace after that and that’s why I performed well,” said Je-yeong, whose best result yet was a joint runner-up at last year’s Mcco Mona Yongpyong Open with SBS Golf.
“It’s the first day so I wasn’t thinking of winning at first, but now that I’m off to a good start, aiming for a win would be a good thing to work towards or it would be great to just be in the top 10 as well.”
16-year-old Rianne, in her first professional start in 10 months, showed that she’s no pushover against her more illustrious competitors.
“This was my first pro start since the (US third-tier circuit) WAPT event in Texas which I finished third,” said Rianne, ranked 35th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and idolises Tiger Woods and Nelly Korda.
“I played pretty well in the practice round, but I wasn’t really expecting that I would shoot three-under today.
“I don’t really think about the outcome. My goal is just to always make my shot the best, and execute it well. I’m not really thinking about the prestige of an event, but just really focusing on my game.”
