Lee shines in the wind as Koreans dominate PH Ladies Masters opener

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LIPA City, Batangas – Yunseo Lee and Jisun Kang shrugged off strengthening afternoon winds and slick putting surfaces to card flawless rounds in contrasting fashion, spearheading a bristling Korean charge in the opening round of the ICTSI Philippine Ladies Masters 2026 at Summit Point Golf and Country Club here on Wednesday.

Both took advantage of early tee times on opposite nines, but it was Lee who delivered the day’s most impressive effort. Battling stiffer gusts on the back nine after an early start at No. 10, the 18-year-old sophomore pro pieced together a brilliant six-under-par 66 to seize the solo lead in the $200,000 event kicking off the Taiwan LPGA Tour.

Lee managed just one birdie at the back, but once she made the turn, she caught fire. She rolled in five birdies on the frontside, highlighted by a four-birdie surge from No. 3 and capped by a commanding finish on the par-5 ninth.

“There was no wind early on, but it picked up and proved strong in the afternoon,” said Lee, who praised the near-perfect conditions despite the growing challenge. “I feel very good playing here. Summit Point is very good.”

Lee is seeking to keep the title in Korean hands following compatriot Kim Kayoung’s victory at The Country Club last year.

Kang, meanwhile, posted a solid 67 after starting on No. 1 in the day’s first group. She birdied Nos. 3, 6 and 9 to turn in three-under, then showed composure as conditions toughened, picking up birdies on Nos. 11 and 14 while narrowly missing chances to go even lower.

As the wind howled late in the round, another Korean, Jeonghyeon Kang, and Thailand’s Navaporn Soontreeyapas remained unruffled, firing identical five-under cards to forge a three-way tie for second in the 54-hole championship, co-sanctioned by the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, Taiwan LPGA, Korean LPGA and the Asia Golf Leaders Forum, offering a top purse of $30,000.

Jeonghyeon Kang built momentum with three birdies against one bogey on her opening nine before closing with three more birdies coming home. Playing Summit Point for the first time – like much of the international field, she leaned on crisp iron play and controlled ball flights to counter the breeze.

“My iron shots were pretty good in the morning and I made a lot of birdies,” said Kang. “First time playing here and I kind of like it. It’s a little windy, so I tried to hit it lower. The greens are very good, so I’ll just focus on my game.”

Asked about her approach over the next two rounds, Kang, whose lone blemish came from a three-putt on No. 13, kept it simple. “I’ll do the same thing I did today. No special play – just keep it up.”

Korean Sohye Park and Taiwan’s No. 2 player Min Lee battled tough conditions in the final group, posting 68 and 69, respectively, to move into early contention in the tournament co-organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments and the TLPGA. Their playing partner, Princess Superal, had a more difficult round, holing out with consecutive bogeys to end up with a 74 for joint 43rd in a tie with Tomi Arejola, Velinda Castil, Marvi Monsalve and Gretchen Villacencio, among others.

Other 69 scorers were Ting-HsuanHuang and Sejin Joung.

Among the home bets, Florence Bisera, Mafy Singson and Daniella Uy emerged as the top Filipino performers, though none managed to crack the 70 mark as the locals collectively struggled to match the Koreans’ and Thais’ scoring pace.

Bisera and Singson both salvaged even-par 71s to gain a share of 14th after battling back with backside birdies. Bisera birdied No. 2 but dropped shots on Nos. 7 and 9 before regaining her rhythm with birdies on Nos. 12 and 16. Singson, grouped with Jisun Kang and Chun Wei Wu, offset a frontside bogey with two birdies, then rebounded from consecutive miscues at Nos. 11 and 12 by birdieing Nos. 15 and 18.

“It was a bit tough because of the strong winds and the fatigue from traveling from Indonesia. But I managed to recover on the back nine,” said Bisera, who tied for sixth in last week’s Indonesia Open, in Filipino.

“My experience in Indonesia was really valuable – it helped me gain confidence,” added Bisera, who recorded an overseas breakthrough in Thailand to cap off a banner season last year.

Uy carded a quiet frontside before finishing with two birdies against a bogey on the back nine to join her compatriots at 71, while Chanelle Avaricio matched par 72 on three birdies against the same number of bogeys for joint 19th.

Kayla Nocum briefly threatened after a sparkling three-under front nine, but the afternoon winds proved unforgiving. She bogeyed No. 10, surrendered two strokes on the next hole, and dropped three more shots over her final seven holes to limp home with a 75, plunging to joint 60th alongside Pauline del Rosario.

Del Rosario, an Epson Tour regular, opened with a birdie on No. 3 but unraveled with a triple bogey on No. 7. A brief bogey-birdie exchange followed, yet she bogeyed No. 10 and settled for pars the rest of the way.

Also gearing up for the Epson Tour season next month, Dottie Ardina wavered under tough afternoons, limping with a 76 to slide to joint 76th. Ardina was level par at the turn but stumbled with four bogeys in her first six holes on the back nine.

With only the top 60 and ties advancing, the second round on Thursday looms as a stern test– especially if the winds continue to swirl – but the frontrunners have already shown they have the grit to withstand it.