It wasn’t just the final score that was impressive for In Gee Chun after the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – although that was pretty darn amazing, too – it was the way Chun was able to dissect Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course.
And find her way into the record books, to boot.
Chun fired an 8-under 64 in Thursday’s opener at this year’s KPMG Women’s PGA, tying the lowest opening round in this championship’s history. Her five-shot lead also matched the biggest first-round margin in women’s golf major history.
A dominant performance.
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 24, 2022
In Gee Chun set the pace for the field and the record for strokes gained total in a single round yesterday. And she's in good company.#KPMGInsights | #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/rbBZLo89YZ
Her 64 also set the course record at Congressional’s re-designed Blue Course.
But according to KPMG Performance Insights, there was much more to the story of Chun’s nine-birdie outburst.
Chun “blew away” every other round over the last 10 years at the KPMG Women’s PGA, according to KPMG Performance Insights, in terms of strokes gained on the field. She gained 11.38 strokes on the field Thursday. That’s nearly two strokes higher than the next-best round in this championship’s history (Nelly Korda’s second-round 63 last year).
Chun leaned into her impressive ball-striking (She’s fourth on the LPGA Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, per KPMG Performance Insights) even more on Thursday, gaining more than seven shots on the field from tee to green.
Chun also had it rolling with the flat stick.
She made five of six putts from between 5-10 feet away on Thursday. The LPGA Tour’s average for that distance is a mere 55.9 per cent. She was third in the field on Thursday in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining just over three shots on the field on the greens.
Thirty-two of the last 34 LPGA Tour major winners were at or within four shots of the lead after the first round and Chun is firmly in the driver’s seat through 18 holes.
A two-time major winner already, Chun has a nice game plan for the next three days. And statistically, she got off to as good a start as she could have asked for.
“I’m trying to make the focus on the course for the process, not for the result. That helps a lot,” said Chun. “I’m trying to enjoy playing golf more on the course. More talk with my caddie. I’m happy with the good round today.”
