Lim Hee-jeong 'Major Title Defense'... "The Keyword is Shot Making"

One Day Before the KB Financial Star Championship Opening, "Bid for 2 Consecutive Wins," So-Yeon Ryu Aims for "2nd Major Victory"

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "The keyword is shot making."

Im Hee-jeong (20, Hanwha Q CELLS) confidently announces her bid for a 'second consecutive victory.' On the 14th, a day before defending her title at the KB Financial Star Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW), a major event on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, she held a press conference at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,702 yards), stating, "The course is long and the fairways are narrow, so improving tee shot accuracy is crucial." She introduced her strategy, saying, "I will leverage last year's winning experience to play as steadily as possible."

Im Hee-jeong made a splash immediately after joining the KLPGA Tour last year by winning three times. Both the High1 Resort Ladies Open in August and the All For You-Renoma Championship in September were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so she is now attempting her first title defense. This year, she has been anxious due to the lack of wins. Although she has entered the 'Top 10' eight times in 12 tournaments, she has repeatedly tasted disappointment with two second-place finishes and three third-place finishes.

It is noteworthy that Im Hee-jeong is currently ranked second in the prize money rankings (464 million KRW) without a win. She is only 25 million KRW behind first place Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land & Housing Corporation, 489 million KRW), and with the winner's prize of 240 million KRW, she has a great opportunity not only to take the lead but also to establish a dominant position in the late season. She expressed gratitude to the organizers for holding the tournament during these difficult times due to COVID-19 and said, "I will do my best until the very end."

The event has quickly turned into a 'battle of the stars' with the participation of overseas players such as world number one Ko Jin-young (25), Yoo So-yeon (30, Mediheal), and Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte). Yoo So-yeon, in particular, is aiming for her second major win after capturing the Korean Women's Open, the 'national title,' in June. She commented, "The course is difficult," and added, "I want to perform at 100% of my ability." An Song-yi (30) and Oh Ji-hyun (24, both KB Financial Group) fired up their fighting spirit, saying, "We will sprint with all our might to win the tournament for our agency."

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