Yoo So-yeon tied for 13th place… ‘Last year’s 6 wins’ Park Min-ji tied for 28th in the first tournament of the season
Park Ji-young (26) became the first champion of the Korea Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour New Mediheal and Hankook Ilbo Championship (total prize money of 1 billion won) and reaped her 4th championship in her career.
In the final 4 rounds of the tournament held at the Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do on the 17th, Park Ji-young took four birdies and blocked one bogey, hitting 3-under 69.
Park Ji-young, who recorded a final total of 18 under par 270, overcame second-placed Chae-eun Lee (23/12-under 276) by six strokes and climbed to the top.
Park Ji-young, who took the lead by hitting an 8-under par on the first day of the course record, took the lead by one stroke in the second round and four strokes in the third round, and on the last day, widened the gap and achieved the ‘Wire to Wire’ victory.
This is Park Ji-young’s fourth win on the KLPGA Tour.
Park Ji-young, the Rookie of the Year in 2015, previously lifted the trophy at the 2016 S-OIL Champions Invitational, the 2018 Hyosung Championship, and the S-OIL Championship last November.
After 5 months, a multiplier was added.
Park Ji-young received a prize money of 180 million won and a ticket to the Mediheal Championship on the LPGA Tour held in Somis, California, USA in October.
Park Ji-young, who started the game with a slightly more relaxed lead, might not reduce the number of strokes by swapping the 4th hole (par 4) bogie and the 8th hole (par 3) birdie in the first half, but it was 4 ahead of the other car.
While Da-yeon Lee hesitated, Chae-eun Lee put a birdie putt close to 7m on the 11th hole (par 4), and sent the third shot to regarding 2m on the 12th hole (par 5), then reduced one more shot and caught up with a two-stroke difference. In fact, it was the only ‘chasing battle’.
Park Ji-young dropped a 4.5m birdie putt on the 13th hole (par 4) that followed, making three more shots and pouring cold water on it.
As this putt entered, Jiyoung Park clenched her fists and foreshadowed victory.
Park Ji-young’s 17th hole (par 4) 5m birdie putt was the final blow.
Chae-eun Lee made a bogey in the same hall and the game was completely divided.
On the 18th hole (par 5), Park Ji-young left the longest birdie putt of over 6 meters among the champions in the group, but even this was a neat success and she celebrated the win.
Park Ji-young said, “There is a long term for every win, so I wanted to win as soon as possible this time.
(During the winter) I practiced the most while playing golf without a day off, and it feels good to win so quickly.”
After winning his first Wire-to-Wire win, his first four-round championship, and winning the most personal at-bats, he said, “I’ve heard a lot of people say that I don’t have a good back, but I didn’t want to show that, so I was more nervous and desperate.
I am happy that I have grown a little more,” he said. “I want to accumulate more wins this year.”
Chae-eun Lee had to be content with leaving the highest ranking on her regular tour.
Da-yeon Lee, who started in second place, lost one stroke and was pushed to third place (10-under 278 stroke).
Yoo Hae-ran (21) was in fourth place (9-under 279 strokes), and Park Hyun-kyung (22) was fifth (8-under 280 strokes).
So-yeon Ryu (32), who is active on the LPGA Tour, cut one shot on the day and finished her main sponsor tournament outing with a tie for 13th (3 under par 285).
Jang Su-yeon (28), the winner of the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open in the opening match of the season, tied for 23rd (1 under par 287), and Park Min-ji (24), who won the grand prize and prize money with six wins last season, tied for 28th in this year’s first competition ( Even par 288).
A total of 6,700 spectators, including 3,000 in the final round, attended the tournament while admission to the golf course gallery resumed this week for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this day, including Kim Rian (23) and Kwon Seo-yeon (21) on the 8th hole (par 3, 168 yards), only five hole-in-ones were poured during the tournament, pleasing the eyes of the fans.
/yunhap news
