Minji Park 'Overtime Victory'... Jang Hana Second Consecutive Runner-up

Nexen-Saintnine Masters: 'Winning Par' on Second Extra Hole, Lee Da-yeon and Kim Yu-bin Tied for 3rd, Choi Hye-jin Tied for 7th

Park Minji (left) is celebrating with her caddy after making a birdie on the 7th hole of the final day at the Nexen Saintnine Masters. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a come-from-behind victory for Park Min-ji (23, NH Investment & Securities).

On the 25th, at Gaya Golf Course in Gimhae, Gyeongnam (par 72, 6,813 yards), the final day of the 2021 KLPGA Tour 2nd event, Nexen Saintnine Masters (total prize money 800 million KRW), Park added a 1-under par to tie with Jang Ha-na (29, BC Card) at 10-under par 278. She then caught the ‘winning par’ on the second hole of the playoff at the 18th hole (par 4). This is her 5th career win, 8 months after winning the Daewoo Winia MBN Ladies Open last August, with a winner’s prize of 144 million KRW.

Starting from a tie for 3rd place, one stroke behind, Park Min-ji recorded 4 birdies and 3 bogeys. Although she lost one stroke with 1 birdie and 2 bogeys in the front nine, she re-entered the winning competition with consecutive birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. She showed resilience by immediately recovering a bogey on the 16th hole (par 5) with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 3). In the first playoff hole, she tied with a par, then secured the victory by making par with ‘2-on 2-putt’ on the second playoff hole.

Park Min-ji is a 5th-year player who debuted on the regular tour in 2017. Since winning her first career title at the Samchully Together Open during her rookie year, she has demonstrated consistency by winning one title each year until last year. Last season, she ranked 5th in prize money, powered by precise shots with a fairway hit rate of 81.82% and a green hit rate of 78.81%. “I didn’t expect it to go to a playoff,” said Park Min-ji, adding, “My goal this year is 3 wins. I will work even harder to achieve the remaining 2 wins.”

Jang Ha-na scored an even par with 3 birdies, 1 bogey, and 1 double bogey. It was regrettable that she made a bogey on the 18th hole while leading by one stroke. This marks her second consecutive runner-up finish. Lee Da-yeon (24, Mediheal), who was co-leader the previous day, lost one stroke and dropped to a tie for 3rd place (9-under par 279). Rookie Kim Yu-bin (23, Hana Financial Group) is also tied for 3rd. Lee Ga-young (22, NH Investment & Securities) is tied for 5th (7-under par 281), and Choi Hye-jin (22, Lotte) is tied for 7th (5-under par 283).

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