Park In-bee's Power 'Victory in First Outing'... Thompson and Olson Tie for 2nd Place (Comprehensive)

At Kia Classic, Ko Jin-young Achieves 21st Career Win with 5-Stroke Victory; Ko Jin-young 4th, Kim Hyo-joo Tied 5th, Yoo So-yeon Tied 12th

Park In-bee (center) is being showered with congratulatory water immediately after winning the final day of the Kia Classic. Carlsbad, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Wire to wire’.

‘Golf queen’ Park In-bi (33, KB Financial Group) claimed her first victory of the 2021 season. On the 29th (Korean time), at the Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California, USA (par 72, 6,609 yards), she shot 2-under par on the final day of the LPGA Tour Kia Classic (total prize money $1.8 million) to secure a commanding 5-stroke victory (14-under par 274). She maintained the lead throughout all four rounds for a perfect win. This is her 21st career victory since the Australian Women's Open in February last year, with a winner's prize of $270,000 (approximately 300 million KRW).

Park started with a 5-stroke lead, recording one eagle, three birdies, and three bogeys. She cruised with birdies on holes 7, 9, and 10, but was briefly halted by consecutive bogeys on holes 12 and 13. However, she sealed the victory with an eagle on the 16th hole (par 4) with a ‘one-on, one-putt’. She relied on her ‘pinpoint iron shots’, missing the green only twice. Most notably, it is interesting that she made her first appearance in the 2021 season’s fourth event and immediately won.

She took the lead by shooting 6-under par on the first day and showed consistent performance throughout the four days. Moreover, she wiped away the disappointment of finishing as runner-up three times in 2010, 2016, and 2019. “Above all, I am most pleased with my steady play over the four days,” said Park In-bi. “The eagle on the 16th hole helped me achieve a good result from the first tournament. I think this will be a great help in preparing for next week’s major,” she cheered.

Park In-bi is the first ‘Golden Slammer’ in golf history, having won four different majors and the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. This year, she is focusing on defending her title at the Tokyo Olympics. Currently ranked 4th in the world, she is third among Korean players behind Ko Jin-young (26), ranked 1st, and Kim Sei-young (28, Mediheal), ranked 2nd. As of June, Korea can send up to four players within the ‘Top 15’. Having secured a victory early in the season, she has effectively secured her ‘Tokyo Olympic ticket’.

Lexi Thompson (USA) shot 3-under par to finish tied for 2nd place (9-under par 279), performing well. This is her second runner-up finish of the season and third ‘Top 10’ since tying for 2nd at the Gainbridge LPGA on the 1st. Amy Olson (USA) also tied for 2nd. Minjee Lee (Australia) finished even par, dropping to tied 5th place (7-under par 281). Danielle Kang and Stacy Lewis tied for 7th (6-under par 282), and Nelly Korda (all USA) tied for 10th (5-under par 283).

Korea’s Ko Jin-young added 2-under par to finish 4th (8-under par 280). Kim Hyo-joo (26, Lotte) tied for 5th, while Yoo So-yeon (31, Mediheal), Yang Hee-young (32, Woori Financial Group), and Hur Mi-jung (31, Daebang Construction) tied for 12th (4-under par 284). 2018 champion Ji Eun-hee (35, Hanwha Q CELLS) finished tied for 26th (2-under par 286). The LPGA Tour will continue next month on the 2nd with the season’s first major, the ANA Inspiration (total prize money $3.1 million).

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