(LEAD) World No. 3 Ryu Hae-ran 1 shot off opening-round lead at LPGA event in S. Korea

(ATTN: ADDS comments in paras 5-11)
By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- World No. 3 Ryu Hae-ran put herself in early contention at the LPGA Tour event in her native South Korea on Thursday.

Ryu shot a bogey-free round of five-under 67 to begin the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. She is tied for third place with three other players and sits one stroke behind the two co-leaders, Karis Davidson of Australia and Yuri Yoshida of Japan.

Ryu collected three birdies on the front nine and two more on the back nine at the par-72 course that played 6,549 yards in the first round.

Ryu, who won two majors earlier this season, is the highest-ranked player in the field this week.

"I missed a few birdie putts midway through the round, but I don't think my putting was a problem," she said. "And when I birdied the 15th and 16th, I was so excited. I felt those two would be key holes in this tournament, and the two birdies felt like big presents."

Ryu is also in contention for the Vare Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average each season.

She came into this week ranked second in scoring with 69.54 through 57 rounds. Nelly Korda of the United States was the leader at 69.38 through 53 rounds. However, Korda is skipping the ongoing Asian swing and will only play the final two events of the season in November, meaning she will fall short of the minimum requirement of 70 total rounds.

Ryu's top competition is Miyu Yamashita of Japan, whose average is 69.64 through 74 rounds. She is not playing this week.

"I have been asked about the Vare Trophy so many times now," Ryu said after the first round. "I would absolutely love to win it, but I will leave it up to God and just go play my game."

Ryu, who has previously said the high trajectory of her shots may not suit the windy conditions in Haenam, said a long day of practice Wednesday helped her make some adjustments for this week.

"I heard we will have some bad weather on the weekend, and I will keep an eye out for that and try to play my best," Ryu said. "I have to be precise with my shots in windy conditions and be better with my putter going forward."

Kim Hyo-joo, sixth in the world rankings, is in a nine-way tie for eighth place at three-under 69. The group includes English star Lottie Woad, seventh in the world rankings, and South Korean veteran Amy Yang.

Defending champion Kim Sei-young shot an even-par 72 to tie for 40th. She started her round with three consecutive bogeys but birdied the eighth, ninth and 17th.

The field also includes 15 players from the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour. Kim Min-sol, a rookie sensation who leads the domestic circuit in money this year, carded a two-under 70 to tie for 18th. The 20-year-old made five birdies against three bogeys.

Seo Kyo-rim, a fellow 20-year-old who leads the KLPGA Tour in the Player of the Year points, put up a 72 with five birdies and five bogeys.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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