KLPGA's Park wins 2nd week in a row + 3rd win of the season...leads money, titles and wins
KLPGA's Park wins 2nd week in a row + 3rd win of the season...leads money, titles and wins
Blog Article
Park Hyun-kyung is on her way to becoming the next big thing on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.
Park won the KLPGA Tour's McCall-Mona Yongpyong Open ($800 million in prize money) on Tuesday at Birch Hill Golf Club (par-72) in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea, in a final-day playoff over Choi Yerim.
The two were tied at 13-under-par 203 after three rounds, forcing a playoff on the 18th hole (par-5).
Park finished the third round with a 3-under 69, while Choi shot a 5-under 67.
In the first overtime, Park drained a 5-meter birdie putt, while Choi's birdie putt, which was a little closer, sailed wide of the hole.
Park, who won the BC Card-Hankyung Ladies Cup on Sept. 23, won for the second straight week. It is the first time in a year and eight months that Lee has won back-to-back titles on the KLPGA Tour since 2022, when she swept the SK networks-Seoul Ladies Classic and the Etisalat Championship.
It is the first time she has won back-to-back tournaments in overtime on the KLPGA Tour.
Park, who won her first title of the season at the Doosan Match Play, 고스톱 온라인 won for the third time this season.
Park, who already leads the money list and the Order of Merit, also overtook Lee Ye Won in the wins category to take the lead in the race for three individual titles.
With her $144 million prize pool, Park increased her season earnings to $886.63 million, just shy of the $800 million mark. Park's previous season earnings record was $862.4 million last year.
With her career earnings now totaling $3.917 billion, Park has moved into fifth place on the all-time money list.
This is the first time Park has won back-to-back weeks and three wins in a season.
With seven career wins, Park has won four of them in overtime. She also defeated Yoon In-na and Park Ji-young in overtime at the BC Card Hankyung Ladies Cup seven days ago.
Park said, "I never imagined winning two weeks in a row. It was a miraculous gift. With three wins in the first half of the year, it reminds me of the days when I was struggling because I was only runner-up. Our efforts were not in vain."
"I didn't think I was a strong player in overtime, but after winning in overtime last week, I am proud to say that I have grown a lot mentally and technically," Park added.
"I want to win the grand prize more than the prize money," Park said, "I wanted to win 10 titles before I retire and earn more than 4 billion won in career earnings and 1 billion won in season earnings, but I think I'll have to adjust my goals a little bit."
Park's tee shot on the 18th hole of the final round went into the woods to the right of the fairway but hit a tree and came into the fairway, and she was fortunate enough to have the same luck in the first overtime when her ball hit a tree and came back into the fairway.
Choi, who has played on the KLPGA Tour since 2018 and has only finished runner-up six times in 173 events, had to settle for her seventh runner-up finish as she was unable to get over the final hurdle.
Choi also finished tied for second behind Park Min-ji at the Celltrion Queens Masters last month.
Park, who started the final round in the lead, got off to a shaky start with a three-putt bogey on the par-5 third hole.
Choi Yerim, who was playing in front of Park in a two-way tie for third, birdied the third (par-5) and fourth (par-4) holes in a row to overtake Park by one stroke.
Park birdied the fifth (par-4) for her first birdie of the day to regain the lead and then birdied the seventh (par-4) to regain the top spot, but Choi was relentless in her pursuit.
Choi birdied the ninth (par-4) to move back into a share of the lead, but Park's birdie on the ninth brought her back to within one, and she birdied the 11th (par-4) and 13th (par-4) to take a one-stroke lead.
Trailing, Park dropped her second shot on the 16th (par-4) to the side of the hole to even the match.
"Even when I was behind, I wasn't impatient or nervous, and I knew I had a chance to make (birdie)," Park said.
After Choi finished first, Park approached the 18th hole (par-5) and was fortunate to find her tee shot into the woods on the right side of the fairway, but it hit a tree and rolled into the fairway.
After a short 3-meter birdie putt sent the match into overtime, Park had a second stroke of good fortune when her tee shot hit a tree and rolled into the fairway.
"When I heard it hit the tree, I thought 'I'm screwed' for two seconds, but then I saw the ball roll in and relaxed. I was lucky," Park said.
Park sank the 5-meter birdie putt and raised her right arm in the air to announce her victory.
"It was my favorite distance. I could see the line, and when my dad (caddie) and I agree, it almost goes in, and it did," Park said.
Choi's birdie putt sailed wide right of the hole to seal the victory for Park.
Choi's birdie putt from two meters on the 18th hole in the third round was a heartbreaker.
Choi Min-kyung and Lee Ji-young finished in a tie for third place at 11-under 205.
First- and second-round leader Seo Yeon-jung finished in a tie for fifth (10-under 206), while last year's winner Ko Jiwoo finished in a tie for seventh (9-under 207).
Lim Hee-jung tied for seventh, her first top-10 finish of the season.