At the Dongbu Construction Korea Land Trust Championship, which celebrated its 2nd anniversary this year, the players’ play has become more daring and attracts attention.
The Korea Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour 2022 Dongbu Construction/Korea Land Trust Championship will be held at Iksan CC (par 72) in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do for four days from the 13th with a total prize money of 1 billion won. This tournament is the only KLPGA Tour held in a modified Stableford format. The modified Stableford is a method that greatly increases the additional points compared to the general Stableford, and as the points obtained from birdieing are higher than for bogeying, players can expect more aggressive play. Albatross is awarded 8 points, Eagle 5 points, birdie 2 points, par 0 points, bogey -1 point, and double bogey or more -3 points.
This is the first and only KLPGA Tour event that is being played with a modified Stableford rather than stroke play. In the second tournament this year, players who have adapted to the new way of playing presented more daring play.
Park Hyun-kyung, who tied for 2nd with 8 birdies and 1 bogey in the first round with +15 points, said, “Last year, I felt that hitting aggressively has an advantage. So this year, I tried to play as aggressively as possible.”
Kim Hee-ji took the lead on the first day of the tournament by catching two shot eagles. Kim Hee-ji scored +16 points with 4 birdies and 1 bogey. Kim Hee-ji said, “It’s not burdensome to look at, and one birdie gives you a plus score, so even if you make a mistake or record a bogey, you don’t feel down.” She said, “I’m confident in putting. We will increase the success rate,” he said, foretelling a more aggressive play.
A total of 365 birdies were recorded in the first round of the competition, and 5 eagles were issued.
Meanwhile, to encourage players to play aggressively, 3 million won in cash is provided to the player with the highest score in the round. A special hole-in-one award is prepared for all par 3 holes.
Iksan = Reporter Jeong Mi-yi gftravel@etnews.com
