SINGAPORE – South Korean golfer Bang Shin-sil is looking to put a difficult few years behind her as she fired a flawless seven-under 65 for the clubhouse lead in the weather-interrupted first round of the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open on March 7.

While she claimed two wins along with seven more top-10 finishes in her rookie season on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) in 2023, things had not been all smooth sailing for Bang.

The 19-year-old was still dealing with the effects of hyperthyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid makes too much hormones, which she had been diagnosed with in 2021.

The world No. 52 golfer said: “In the past, it was quite tough because of the sickness, but I’ve fully recovered and I’m in very good condition.

“I tried not to have too many negative thoughts, I kept thinking that I was going to recover soon. These thoughts really helped a lot when it came to recovery, so it put my mind at ease.”

While her hyperthyroidism had mainly been cured, she had to deal with its effects.

It affected her ability to do physical training for some time. This was particularly difficult over the summer months, as Bang continued competing weekly and she lost 5kg in the second half of 2023.

She tried to eat and rest as much as possible while maintaining a positive mindset.

After claiming her maiden win at the E1 Charity Open last May, she missed five cuts in the next 15 tournaments before bagging her second title at the Dongbu Construction Koreit Championship in October.

But at the Tanah Merah Country Club’s Tampines Course, Bang, who teed off from the 10th hole, started strongly, posting five birdies on her outward nine.

She then closed out the round with two more birdies on holes No. 7 and 9, just as the lightning warning signal sounded, bringing play to a stop for over two hours.

She said: “The weather wasn’t as hot as I expected it to be, so generally the shots and play itself went smoother than I expected.

“There weren’t any shots that didn’t go very well. Generally, the way I played was pretty good today.”

She finished a stroke ahead of compatriot Kim Jae-hee, whose late charge was halted by inclement weather.

Kim rattled five consecutive birdies from No. 11 to 15 to reach six under. She was in the midst of playing her final hole, No. 18, when play was suspended at around 7pm.

She will be one of the 54 players who will return on March 8 to complete their first round.

Fellow South Koreans Seo Yeun-jung, Kim Min-ju and Lee Je-yeong teed off earlier and posted 67s to share joint-third. 

Despite getting off to a shaky start with a bogey, Lee, who is searching for her first win on the KLPGA, recovered quickly to register six birdies.

The 23-year-old said: “During practice, I had already felt there were a few slices so it didn’t feel very good already.

“But after I hit the bogey, I started finding my pace and grip back, so that’s why I was able to get a few birdies.

“I felt more at peace after that and that’s why I performed well.”

Thai Patty Tavatanakit, who at world No. 27 is the highest-ranked player in the field, was four under after 13 holes while flightmate and defending champion Park Ji-young was one under.

The leading Singaporean was Koh Sock Hwee, who is joint-44th after shooting a 72, with national amateurs Chen Xingtong (74) and Jaymie Ng (76) tied-81st and joint-97th respectively.

Aloysa Atienza was one over after 15 holes, Jillian Kuk was four over through 11 holes and Amanda Tan was six over through 16 holes.