At the Doosan Match Play Championship, the only match play competition on the KLPGA tour, ‘defending champion’ Min-ji Park, won three consecutive group victories in the group stage and reached the round of 16 and cruised towards the championship for the second year in a row.
Park Min-ji defeated Seo Yeon-jeong by 4 holes in the third group stage match held on the third day of the tournament at Ladena Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do.
Park Min-ji, who defeated Woo-ri Jeon, Eun-woo Choi, and Yeon-jeong Seo in turn, recorded three consecutive victories and advanced to the round of 16 as the first place in the group.
Park Min-ji will compete with Hong Jung-min in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Park Min-ji, who won six victories last year and swept first place in multiple victories, prize money, and grand prize points, took three crowns. Last week, at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, she achieved ‘two consecutive victories’ and earned her first win of the season.
If Minji Park wins this tournament, she will win the championship for two weeks in a row and defend the title for two weeks in a row for the first time in the history of the KLPGA tour.
No player has won the Doosan Match Play Championship for the second consecutive year, which is now in its 14th year.
The only player to have won twice is Kim Ja-young, the 2012 and 2017 champion.
In the Doosan Match Play Championship, 64 players are divided into 16 groups and play a group stage for three days.
Last year’s runner-up, Joo-Young Park, also defeated Da-Bin Heo in the third round of the group stage by 5 holes and advanced to the round of 16 with three consecutive wins.
Lee Ye-won, a 19-year-old rookie who takes the top spot in the Rookie of the Year award this season, won 2 wins and 1 loss in overtime alongside Jung Yun-ji and joined the round of 16.
Yoo Hae-ran, the leader in prize money, grand prize points, and average at-bats this season, lost to Hanjin Line yesterday and lost to Jeon Ye-seong in the third game by two holes and was eliminated with 1 win and 2 losses.
In Yoo Hae-ran’s group, Han Jin-sun advanced to the round of 16 with three straight wins.
After overtime by Hee-Jeong Lim, they clash with Joo-Young Park in the quarterfinals this year in the round of 16.
Hee-jung Lim played overtime with 2 wins and 1 loss alongside Madasom and Soi Kim, but Madasom was eliminated in the 1st overtime, and in the 2nd overtime, Im Hee-jung defeated Kim Soi, who committed a par, and advanced to the round of 16.
Bae So-hyeon, who beat Park Gyeol by 4 holes in the 3rd game, recorded 3 consecutive wins and entered the round of 16 as the group’s first place, beating Park Hyun-kyung, who had 2 wins and 1 loss.
Park Hyun-kyung lost to Ahn Ji-hyeon in the third game and failed to advance to the round of 16.
The 1st seed, Ahn Seon-ju, was eliminated in the 3rd game by losing 1st place to An Song-i who had 3 wins in a draw with Lee Seung-yeon with 1 win and 2 draws.
In addition, Choi Ye-rim, Kim Su-ji, Kim Ji-soo, Jo A-yeon, Sung Yu-jin, Lee Ye-won, Lee Chae-eun and Im Jin-hee also joined the round of 16.
The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be held tomorrow (Saturday), and the semifinals and finals will be held the next day (Sunday).
The total prize money for this competition is 800 million won, and the winning prize is 200 million won.
(Photo = provided by KLPGA, Yonhap News)
