Minami Katsu, a 27-year-old Japanese golfer, became an instant sensation at last week’s LPGA’s Shanghai tournament. She wowed all with her carding of a phenomenal 11-under 61, a new course record! It was a performance for the ages, and it earned her a two-shot edge at the halfway mark of the historic tournament. Her overall score is 13-under 131 for the two rounds, an impressive number. This exceptional accomplishment sets the stage for Katsu’s chase towards her first career win on the tour.
Katsu’s competitive round—with an unbelievable 12 birdies—set the tone for not only her skills and killer instinct that day, but a commitment to execution and focus. She beat the old course record of 62, held by Sei Young Kim from last year, by one stroke. Katsu was very happy with her performance today, saying “Honestly I’m very pleased with the record that I made today.”
Even with the score AOTY-level, Katsu wanted to stress that getting records was the last thing on her mind while playing. Instead, she concentrated on maintaining her fundamentals. “And it was almost a perfect round!” she shouted. Sure, there were a few fortunate instances, but I played exceptionally well.
In competition, it was still a historic day, as rookie Ina Yoon shot a day’s best of 68 to position herself in second at 11-under. Yoon’s unshakable composure continues to leave her within striking range of Katsu as the tournament unfolds. Meanwhile, Jenny Bae experienced a challenging round. She finished with a triple-bogey 7 and would have to settle for a score of 69. Bae was able to counter the mistakes with eight birdies on the card, including a pair of bogeys and the self-explanatory triple bogey.
Lindy Duncan had a solid week as well, finishing in third at 11-under, with Martha Kim and others within distance. Local favorite Arpichaya Yubol, who was coming off a victory in last week’s individual tournament, shot 71 today and is tied for fifth at 9-under. The tournament displays the fierce competitiveness among teammates that exists on the LPGA. This year, we have witnessed an unprecedented run of first-time winners in every tournament of our 25-event official season!
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