Red-hot rookie Bang Shin-sil (19, KB Financial Group) has her sights set on victory once again.
The 19-year-old shot a four-under-par 68 in the first round of the 2023 KLPGA Tour’s 11th E1 Charity Open at Seongmunan CC in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on Saturday to move into a share of the lead with Kim Min-seon 7 and Ji Han-sol.
It was a flawless first round for Bang Shinsil. With just one bogey on the 10th hole and five birdies, Bang showed once again why he is one of the most exciting rookies of the season.
If there’s one thing Bangsinsil is known for, it’s his long game. In fact, Bang showed off a 269-yard (246 metres) driver in the first round. Considering the overall average was 247 yards (226 metres), that’s an extra 20 metres of distance.스포츠토토
On the par-4 1st hole, he wowed the gallery with a 293.3-yard (268m) driver, the longest of the day.
However, Bang is not in the best of shape. “I thought I was going to have a hard time today because I had a cold, but I felt good with my shots and putts, so I was able to finish with a good score,” he said after the first round.
The difficulty of the course was proving to be as challenging for Bangsinsil as it was for the other players. “I played this course for the first time this week and I felt it was important to stay in the fairways as the fairways are narrow and the rough is long. The greens are also hard and unforgiving,” he said.
Bang didn’t just go for the long shot. On the 16th hole (par 5), he took out a wood.
“I did it strategically. If you tee off with a driver, the drop-off is very narrow. On this course, I thought it was more important to stay in the fairway than to be aggressive, so I teed off with a 3-wood and left 220 metres.”
Bang has been one of the favourites among the rookies this season due to her long game. However, after finishing 40th in last year’s seeding, he has been granted a conditional stay on the Tour this season.
The pressure is on, but Bang is undaunted. “I’m just trying to play my best now. I’m confident that I can win if I go to the Dream Tour again or the seeding event, but I’m trying my best to avoid it as much as possible,” he said of the intense media spotlight. “It’s actually a burden because I’m getting so much attention when I don’t have enough. But I’m grateful. I will work harder,” he said solemnly.