'Trend' Park Min-ji achieves 4 wins in the season... 2 wins in major championships

sending time2022-09-18 15:36

KB Financial Star Championship ’14 wins in total’… 2 years in a row ‘1 billion won in prize money’

Park Min-ji’s tee shot.

[KLPGA 제공. 재판매 및 DB 금지]

(Icheon = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Hoon = Park Min-ji (24) once again proved that she is the ‘trend’ on the Korean women’s professional golf (KLPGA) tour.

In the final round of the KB Financial Star Championship, the fourth major tournament of the KLPGA Tour season held at Blackstone Icheon Golf Club (par 72) in Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 18th, Park Min-ji won the championship with a total of 5-under 283 in the 4 rounds by hitting a 4-under 68.

Park Min-ji, who beat So-young Lee (25) by four strokes, took her fourth championship of the season.

After winning the BC Card and Hankyung Ladies Cup in June, it has been about three months since they added one more trophy to their 14th victories.

This is the second major championship win after last year’s Korea Women’s Open.

Park Min-ji, who received the championship prize of 216 million won, sprinted to first place in the prize money ranking, increasing the season prize money to 1.04 billion won.

Park Min-ji is the first player to exceed 1 billion won in prize money for two consecutive years on the KLPGA Tour.

Park Min-ji, who took a step ahead in the competition for multiple wins and prize money, also climbed to second place by 26 points in the grand prize point ranking compared to Hae-ran Ha (21).

Following last year, he turned on the blue light for 2 consecutive victories in prize money, grand prize, and multiple wins.

Park Min-ji, who won 12 of the last 13 wins in the spring or summer, is the second in her career to win the ADT Caps Championship in November 2018.

Park Min-ji, who entered the final round with a tie for second place one shot behind Jeong Yun-ji (22), played a frustrating game that could not catch any birdies until the 7th hole following the bogey of 3 putts on the 2nd hole (par 4).

Park Min-ji, who started by catching the first birdie by putting the second shot on the 8th hole (par 4) a span of the hole, put in a 10m birdie putt on the 13th (par 3) followed by 2m on the 14th hole (par 4) As a birdie, he immediately took the lead.

Following Daeyou Winia and MBN Women’s Open, Lee So-young, who tried to win two of the season, caught a 2.5m birdie on the 15th hole (par 5) and pursued it by one stroke.

The tight game was split on the 17th hole (par 4).

Park Min-ji dropped it 50 cm from the hole with the second shot, and Lee So-young lost one stroke because she could not properly hit the ball caught in the chin of the bunker next to the green.

Park Min-ji, who was well ahead by three strokes, celebrated the victory with a birdie after hitting the third shot on the 18th hole (par 5) 1m away.

On this day, Lee So-young, who served two birdies and two bogeys, had to be satisfied with the runner-up prize of 132 million won.

Lim Hee-jung (22), who caught four birdies and reduced three strokes, came in third place (even par 288).

Jeong Yun-ji (22), who started the 4th round as the lead, but was eliminated from the championship due to a double bogey on the 12th hole (par 4) lost three strokes with three birdies, one double bogey and four bogeys, and tied for fourth place (1 over par 289). t) ended the competition.

khoon@yna.co.kr