'Coming-Out Golfer' Reed "First Victory Kiss"... Kim Seyoung Tied 18th

ShopRite Classic Final Day 4-Under Par '2-Stroke Victory', Cupcho 2nd, Imiyang Tied 27th

Mel Reid is giving an exhilarating kiss to the trophy right after winning the ShopRite Classic. Galloway, New Jersey, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] 'Melissa Reid → Mel Reid.'

In December 2018, the golf world was abuzz with Mel Reid (England). She came out publicly about her sexual identity. It is rare for an active player to reveal they are homosexual. Reid said, "There is hardly any atmosphere where sexual identity is an issue on tour," and explained, "I had hidden it to receive more sponsorships, but I realized that I need to be proud of myself to be happy with better people."

After coming out, she changed her professional name on the LPGA Tour from Melissa to Mel, and two years later, she reached the top. This happened on the 5th (Korean time) at the ShopRite Classic (total prize money $1.3 million) held at the Seaview Bay Course in Galloway, New Jersey, USA (par 71, 6,190 yards). She shot 4-under par on the final day to secure a two-stroke victory (19-under par 265). It was her first win in four years since joining the LPGA Tour in 2017. The winner's prize was $195,000 (about 230 million KRW).

Mel debuted on the Ladies European Tour (LET) in 2008 and won Rookie of the Year. In 2012, she experienced hardship when her mother died in a car accident. After winning six times in Europe, she joined the LPGA Tour in 2016 at age 30 by finishing tied for 8th at the qualifying tournament. She struggled over the past three seasons, with no wins or even runner-up finishes. Her best result was a tie for 3rd at last year's major KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

This year, she showed an upward trend by finishing tied for 7th at the ANA Inspiration and tied for 5th at the Portland Classic, entering the top 10 twice in nine tournaments before achieving her first victory. Rookie Jennifer Kupcho (USA) made a splash by shooting three under to finish second (17-under par 267). Jennifer Song (USA) was third (16-under par 268), Nasa Hataoka (Japan) fourth (14-under par 270), and Nelly Korda (USA) fifth (12-under par 272), all performing well.

Korea's Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset) shot 3-under par to jump to a tie for 18th (8-under par 276). It has only been six tournaments since the Marathon Classic last August that no Korean player finished in the top 10. Park Sung-hyun (27) surged with 5-under par to tie for 27th (6-under par 278). Im Hyang-giang (27, Volvik), who led in rounds 1 and 2, is in this group. Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group) finished tied for 43rd (3-under par 281).

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