Kim Hyo-joo's Straight Drive "Hunting for 2 Domestic Wins"... Jo Jeong-min 'Title Defense'

BC Card and Hankyung Ladies Cup Victory Challenge, 'Champ Squad' Including Park Hyun-kyung and Lee So-young Join

Kim Hyo-joo challenges for her 'second domestic win' at the BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte), the 'Lotte Cantata Women's Open Champion,' is on a straight path.

On the 25th, she once again entered the fray at the BC Card-Hankyung Ladies Cup (total prize money 700 million KRW), part of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, held at Pocheon Hills Golf Club (par 72, 6,605 yards) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. The big news is that while the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour was completely suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she participated in five KLPGA Tour events in the 2020 season and secured the top spot in the prize money rankings with 324.54 million KRW.

That amount excludes the prize money (52.62 million KRW) from the E1 Charity Open, where she played as an invited player. Kim Hyo-joo showed her presence with a tie for 4th place at the KLPGA Championship in May, tied for 33rd at the E1 Charity Open, and finally clinched the Lotte Cantata Women's Open on the 8th. This marked her 11th KLPGA Tour victory, her first in three years and six months since the China Women's Open in December 2016. She drew even more spotlight by defeating Kim Sei-young (27, Mirae Asset) on the first hole of a playoff on the final day.

For Kim Hyo-joo, this victory was especially meaningful as she had endured a title drought since the LPGA Tour Bahamas Classic in January 2016 but regained her winning touch on the domestic stage. Last year, she was frustrated by finishing as runner-up three times?in June at the NW Arkansas Championship, July at the Evian Championship, and November at the Toto Japan Classic. "I gained weight and focused on strength training during the winter in Thailand, and the effects have been significant," she said, adding with confidence, "My driving distance has increased, making it easier to approach the green with the second shot."

The S-Oil Championship was excluded from official competition due to bad weather, and at the Korean Women's Open, which ended on the 21st, she finished as runner-up by one stroke after a fierce battle for the title with Yoo So-yeon (30, Mediheal). It is interesting that Kim Hyo-joo has been consistently advancing toward victory in every tournament with a win, a second place, and a fourth place. "Personally, I am eager to be number one in average score," she said, expressing her ambition to "maintain scores in the 60s." This time, with overseas players like Yoo So-yeon, Ko Jin-young (25), and Lee Jeong-eun 6 (24, Daebang Construction) absent, her chances of winning have increased.

The 'domestic players' are led by a champion group including Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land & Trust) and Lee So-young (23, Lotte). Defending champion Cho Jeong-min (26) shares the dream of 'defending the title.' She recalls the thrilling memory of starting the final day tied for 6th place, 7 strokes behind, and making a dramatic comeback with a 5-under-par round to win. Past champions such as Oh Ji-hyun (24, KB Financial Group), who won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, and Jang Ha-na (28, BC Card) from 2015 have also joined the field.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.