WORLD NO. 3 JIN YOUNG KO AND TEAM VAN DAM TAKE THE LEAD AT THE ARAMCO TEAM SERIES PRESENTED BY PIF - HONG KONG

World No. 3 Jin Young Ko took the lead in the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF - Hong Kong, following an impressive bogey-free first-round score of eight-under-par at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
The South Korean, who was one of the favourites heading into this week, dominated right from the get-go, scoring an outward front-nine of 30 and back in 35, which contributed to her two-shot lead in Hong Kong. Ko leads by two heading into the second round ahead of Anne van Dam of the Netherlands, who shot a six-under-par 67 to sit in solo second place.

On her round, Ko said, “I practised a lot and worked out a lot [last month], as I really wanted to play in the Aramco Team Series. I’m really happy to be here in Hong Kong playing in [the] team event.”

She added: “If I win, it’s going to be my first win on the Ladies European Tour, so it’s going to be an honour. So that motivates me. I have two more rounds to go, so I will get some more birdies.”

Ko hit every fairway, and hit 17 out of 18 greens during her bogey-free round on the course, which has witnessed legends of the game win in years gone by. Hong Kong Golf Club’s past champions include a roster of some of golf’s biggest stars, including Hall of Famers Peter Thomson, Tom Watson and Greg Norman, and major champions Rory McIlroy, Bernard Langer and Padraig Harrington, to name a few. Ko, who notably holds the record for the most weeks spent at the number one position in the Rolex Women World Golf Rankings, is also eyeing up a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame and sees this week as a step closer to that illustrious milestone with a victory in Hong Kong.

Ko remarked: “I want to get into the [World Golf] Hall of Fame. I have seven more points left. So I need to get seven wins or two or three majors. So it is my motivation. It is my lifelong goal.”

Also in close contention to Ko and Van Dam after the first round are Spanish star Nuria Itturioz (-5) and Xiyu Lin (-4) from China, with home favourite Tiffany Chan, who took advantage of her local knowledge of the Hong Kong Golf Club, opening her championship with a first-round score of 71 (-2) to remain very much in contention with two rounds still to go.

Van Dam, who is a team captain this week at the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF, led her team of Sophie Witt, Lydia Hall and amateur Andrew Hibbert to the top of the leaderboard in the team championship, courtesy of a combined score of 16-under par.
Speaking after their round, Captain Van Dam said, “We had plenty of birdies out there, which was great. The course is definitely scorable, and it's very fun to play, and we had a super fun day playing with these girls.”

On their ability to complement each other’s play throughout the day, fellow teammate Lydia Hall commented after the round: “We ham-and-egged it a little bit. I was out of it for a couple of the holes, and the girls took the lead and did what they needed to do. They both played so well, and Anne had it on a string today, which was impressive to watch.”

With scoring tight at the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round of the team championship, four teams currently sit in second place at 13-under-par (Team Alonso, Team Itturioz, Team Gainer & Team Ciganda), with two more teams tied sixth at 12-under-par (Team Pettersson & Team Davidson Spilkova).

The Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Hong Kong promises an unparalleled week of golfing brilliance and entertainment for fans of all ages. Tickets are available for purchase online via the official distributor Ticketflap. General admission tickets are priced at HK$150 for Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, admission is free ALL WEEKEND for attendees under 18.

The Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Hong Kong is proud to be an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports events capital. The “M” Mark is
awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee and symbolises intense, spectacular and signature events in the territory sports calendar.

For further information about the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF, please visit aramcoteamseries.com or follow the event on social media @aramco_series.