‘Veteran’ Lee Jeong-min (30) won the 2023 Korea Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour PLK Pacific Rings Korea Championship (total prize money of 700 million won).
In the final 3rd round of the tournament held at Twin Doves Golf Club (par 72) in Binh Duong, Vietnam on the 18th, Lee Jung-min scored 1 under par 71 with 4 birdies and 3 bogeys.
Recording a final total of 9 under par, 207 strokes, Lee Jeong-min beat second place Choi Ye-rim (23) by 3 strokes to reach the top.
Lee Jung-min, who won the thrilling championship in 5 years and 7 months at the Dongbu Construction and Korea Land Trust Championship in October last year, achieved a come-from-behind championship in 1 year and 2 months. Since the Dongbu Construction/Korea Real Estate Trust Championship was a modified Stableford method in which the performance for each hole was calculated as points, the stroke play championship was six years and nine months after the World Ladies Championship in March 2016.
Lee Jung-min, who overcame the slump and won two consecutive years following last year, achieved 10 victories on the KLPGA tour.
Among the players currently active on the KLPGA tour, Park Min-ji (24, 16 wins), Jang Ha-na (30, 15 wins), and Choi Hye-jin (23, 10 wins) stepped on the 10-win tally in total. The prize money for the championship was 126 million won, and Lee Jung-min solidified his position in third place (approximately 3,954.68 million won) in the KLPGA Tour’s total prize money.
Lee Jung-min, who started the final round with a tie for 2nd place with leader Ye-rim Choi by 1 stroke, made his first birdie with a mid-distance birdie at hole 5 (par 3) while Ye-rim Choi lost one stroke until hole 5 and slumped at hole 7 (par 4). He dropped his second shot precisely in front of the pin, added a birdie, and jumped into the lead.
While other players struggled to attack the pin due to the strong wind, Lee Jung-min made consecutive birdies on holes 11 (par 5) and 12 (par 4), leading by 6 strokes at one time. 메이저놀이터
Lee Jung-min, who seemed to win easily, was shaken by bogeying three consecutive holes in holes 14 to 16. Lee Jung-min, who made the first bogey of the day on the 14th hole (par 3), missed a 1m par putt on the 15th hole (par 4) and wrote down a bogey, and lost another stroke on the 16th hole (par 4), Choi Ye-rim and Ko Ji-woo (20 ) and was chased by three strokes to the tied second place group.
Ko Ji-woo missed the green on the 17th hole (par 3), but caught a birdie with a chip, and Lee Jung-min was pursued to the bottom of the chin by two strokes. However, Ko Ji-woo dropped his tee shot into the water on the last 18th hole (par 5), and Lee Jung-min began to solidify his championship.
Lee Jung-min’s second shot, aiming for two-on, was hit thickly, but he managed to get over the water in front of the green and finished the final hole with a par to secure the championship.
Choi Ye-rim, who recorded only runner-up four times in his career, aimed for his first win in this tournament, but lost 3 strokes and finished in 2nd place (6 under par 210 strokes).
Ko Ji-woo dropped his tee shot into the water on the last hole, received a penalty stroke, and even went into the penalty area on his third shot.