Jeon In-ji "4th Place After 15 Months"... Korda 'Playoff Victory'

2021 Season Opening Day Diamond Resort Tournament Final Day 4-Under Par 'Strong Performance', Daniel Kang 2nd, Nelly 3rd

Jeon In-ji is teeing off on the 4th hole on the final day of the Diamond Resort Tournament.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is Jeon In-ji's (27, KB Financial Group) "Song of Hope."

On the 25th (Korean time), at the Four Seasons Golf & Sports Club in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA (par 71, 6,645 yards), the final day of the 2021 LPGA Tour season opener, the Diamond Resort Tournament (total prize money $1.2 million), Jeon shot 4-under par to finish 4th (17-under par 267). This marked her best result in 15 months since tying for 4th at the BMW Ladies Championship in October 2019, signaling a strong comeback.

Starting 4th, 8 strokes behind, Jeon displayed flawless play with no bogeys and four birdies. After her first birdie on the 7th hole (par 5), she struggled to lower her score until showing fierce finishing power with three consecutive birdies from the 15th to 17th holes. She powered through with an average driving distance of 256 yards and "stingy putting" with only 28 putts in the round. Jeon In-ji is the player who won the 2015 U.S. Women's Open as a "non-member" and joined the LPGA Tour the following year.

She won the Rookie of the Year title in 2016 with her major victory at the Evian Championship and achieved her third career win at the KEB Hana Bank Championship in October 2018. Since then, she has been in a slump without a title for 2 years and 3 months. Last year, she only made two top-10 finishes, dropping to 37th in the money rankings ($301,686) and 62nd in the world rankings (1.94 points). She focused heavily on winter training and debuted a new putter. She demonstrated her strength in the first tournament of the new year, laying the foundation for a turnaround.

Jessica Korda (USA) shot 5-under par to tie with Danielle Kang (USA) at 24-under par 260, then secured the winning birdie on the first hole of the playoff resumed at the 18th hole (par 3). This was her 6th career win, her first in 3 years since the 2018 Honda LPGA Thailand, with a winner's prize of $180,000 (2 billion KRW). Nelly Korda (USA) surged with 7-under par to finish 3rd (22-under par 262). For Korea, Park Hee-young (34, Isu Group) and Heo Mi-jeong (32, Daebang Construction) tied for 22nd (3-under par 281).

In the invitational celebrity division played under a "modified Stableford" format, tennis star Mardy Fish (USA) won with 158 points. The winner's prize was $100,000 (110 million KRW). Baseball star John Smoltz (USA), who was aiming for a third consecutive win, finished 7th (138 points), and "legend of women's golf" Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) placed 9th (134 points). The LPGA Tour will resume next month on the 25th at the Gainbridge LPGA held at Lake Nona Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, USA.

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