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Team Delacour tops team table of Aramco Korea Championship with 13-under-par

Published: 09 May. 2025, 19:27 Updated: 09 May. 2025, 19:47

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Perrine Delacour hits a shot during the Aramco Korea Championship at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on May 9. [LET]

GOYANG, Gyeonggi — Perrine Delacour of France tied for the No. 1 spot with Patricia Isabel Schmidt of Germany in the individual contest at the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Korea Championship with a three-under-par, 69, at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on a rainy Friday, contributing Team Delacour's rise to the top of the team competition table with a score of 13-under-par.

Delacour and three of her teammates — Maha Haddioui of Morocco, Polly Mack of Germany and Eleanor Givens of Britain — combined efforts for the sole top spot on the first day of action.

The three-day Aramco Championship consists of two events: a two-day 36-hole stroke play team event in which each team competes for the team title and a three-day 54-hole stroke play individual event.

The two events are one and the same for the first two days, with the competitors playing in the team event, and their individual scores counted simultaneously for the individual event.

The team event follows the “two-from-four” format, where the two best scores on each hole are combined and used as the team’s score. The team with the fewest strokes wins the team event.

Twenty-six teams of four competed alongside and against each other, with Kim Hyo-joo, defending champion in the individual contest, also joining the field.

Kim Hyo-joo hits a shot during the Aramco Korea Championship at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on May 9. [LET]

Kim tied for third in the individual competition with a two-under-par, while Team Kim — consisting of Kim, Ginnie Ding of Hong Kong, Ariane Klotz of France and Daniela Darquea of Ecuador — finished solely in third at 10-under-par.

A medium-size crowd was present despite heavy rain throughout Friday. An avid group of Kim fans wearing red “H.J. Kim” caps was particularly notable.

Kim’s fan group, known as “Shooting Star” — meaning Kim is always a star that delights fans — was not just wearing caps but also carrying red “H.J. Kim” umbrellas.

Fans of Kim Hyo-joo carrying “H.J. Kim” umbrellas watch the Aramco Korea Championship at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on May 9. [PAIK JI-HWAN]

One fan even held a sign that says, “Even if it rains, I can’t resist Hyo-joo,” showing her strong affection for the seven-time LPGA winner.

A fan of Kim Hyo-joo holds a sign saying, ″Even if it rains, I can’t resist Hyo-joo,” at the Aramco Korea Championship at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on May 9. [PAIK JI-HWAN]

"First of all, since Kim Hyo-joo participated in the tournament last year as well — last year was her first time participating and she won — this time she's coming back as the defending champion, right? So, regardless of her current form or performance, I had to come,” Shooting Star member Cheon Sun-young said. “It’s her first tournament in Korea in a while, so of course I have to cheer for her.

“For this tournament, I pretty much came to see Hyo-joo. There are other tournaments in Korea like the LPGA’s BMW [Ladies] Championship, so our fan group attends those as well. Since Hyo-joo mainly competes in LPGA tournaments, whenever there is a competition in Korea, we usually make sure to come and watch at least once."

This year marks the second time the Aramco Korea Championship, formerly known as Aramco Team Series, has visited Korea, with 104 golfers from around the world joining for the doubled prize money pool of $2 million.

This year’s edition does not include as many amateur golfers as last year, during which 36 amateurs competed alongside 108 pros in the team event, as this year’s provides more opportunities for pros.

The tournament still includes one team with only amateurs — Team Park with Park Seo-jin, Yang Hyo-jin, Nam Si-eun and Choi Jung-won — who joined the field as Korea Golf Association invitees and finished in 17th with a five-under-par in the team contest.

The team event will wrap up on Saturday, with the individual contest running through Sunday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]