Ahn Shi-hyun took the 24th place to make a scant result

“Cinderella” Ahn Shi-hyun (19 years old, Kolon), on her first visit to United States and expecting to performing well, instead suffered a bitter experience.

On November 14, at the first round of the U.S. LPGA Tournament of Champions held on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail`s Crossings Course, par 72, at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, USA. Ahn Shi-hyun, who was invited because of her victory at the CJ Nine Bridges Classic, hit four birdies, nine bogeys and one double-bogey to score a 7-over par and finished the day tied in 24th place out of a total of 29 players.

Ahn Shi-hyun started uneasily with consecutive bogeys on the par-4 first hole and on the par-3 second hole, and she also hit a double-bogey on the par-5 fourth hole. However, she bounced back to hit consecutive birdies on the fifth, sixth, and seventh holes. Ahn seemed to have recovered, but on the back nine, her game collapsed, hitting five straight bogeys starting from the par-4 11th hole to the par-4 15th hole. She also lost another stroke on the par-4 18th hole to finish her tough day.

Under the unfavorable conditions, the field’s average score skyrocketed to 75.9, and only two players broke par. But as for Ahn, she finished with a terrible score. What could be the problem?

First of all, the preparation time was extremely short. Due to the aftermath of her victory at the CJ Nine Bridges Classic, and showing up at various events, she was not able to swing a golf club for four or five days and arrived at this tour only two days before the start. She couldn’t sufficiently adapt to the green. At the departure interview, she said, “I don’t know anything about that golf course.” She didn’t have any prior information about this course. To complete the reason for her miseries, she had a tough time in adjusting her driving range due to the strong wind. Also, the lawn and rough, which are totally different from that of Korea, were obstacles to her every time.

Above all things, she was having trouble putting. The Bermuda lawn, which she did not experience in Korea, was solid, and as a result, the ball runs and rolls easily. Therefore, it was hard to stop the ball. Most of the bumped greens were heavily two-folded and triple-folded, so for her it was hard to adjust. The percentage of her shots on-green fell to 38 percent and the number of total putts was 29.

Ahn, who will jump to the U.S. Tour next year as regular player, said, “I think I have a lot to learn, and I have to raise my ability to adjust to different greens. I am disappointed at my poor putting, and I will do my best to the end with the thought of gaining experience.”

“Would-be bride” Han Hee-won (Fila Korea), who will get married next month, performed well, having been cheered on by her fiancé, Sohn Hyun of the professional baseball team Doosan Bears, with three birdies and three bogeys to finish at even par and tied for third place, following Lorie Kane (Canada) who took the lone lead with a 2-under par score.

Park Ji-eun (Nike Golf) and Park Hee-jung (CJ) tied for the seventh place with 3-over par scores each. Three Korean players finished the day in the top 10. Pak Se-ri (CJ), who is challenging for her third consecutive victory in this tournament, tied for 15th with Kim Mi-hyun, scoring a 4-over par.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com