Jang Hana Secures Round of 16 "Bae Sohyun, Come Out"... Kim Jihyun and Park Minji Also Advance to Round of 16

Doosan Match Play Day 3: Jo A-yeon Wins by 4 Holes, Park Hyun-kyung, Ji Han-sol, and Lim Hee-jung 'Group 1st', Choi Hye-jin Eliminated in Upset

Jang Hana is teeing off on the 5th hole on the third day of the Doosan Match Play Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] 2013 champion Jang Hana (29, BC Card) advanced to the round of 16.

On the 21st, at Radenna Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province (par 72, 6,333 yards), she defeated Jo Ah-yeon (21, Dongbu Construction) by 4 holes on the third day of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour Doosan Match Play Championship (total prize money 800 million won) preliminaries. With three consecutive wins in the group league, she proudly holds first place. She will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals against Bae So-hyun (28, DS E&C), who edged out Lee Hyo-rin (24, ShinHyup) by 3 holes. Similar to the World Cup in soccer, the format divides players into 16 groups, with the top player from each group advancing to the round of 16.

Jang Hana took the 2nd and 5th holes, then won three consecutive holes from the 7th to the 9th, gaining a 5-hole lead in the front nine. Although she faltered briefly after losing the 12th and 14th holes in the back nine, she sealed the match with a birdie on the 15th hole (par 4). This is her chance to aim for the ‘Match Queen’ title for the first time in eight years since 2013. Jang said, "I maintained good play from the start today," adding, "Match play is close to 운칠기삼 (luck 70%, skill 30%). I won’t hope for my opponent’s mistakes but will focus on playing well myself."

Park Min-ji is smiling after winning the 4th hole on the third day of the Doosan Match Play Championship. Photo by KLPGA

Two-time champion Park Min-ji (23, NH Investment & Securities) defeated Jeon Woo-ri (24, DB Insurance) by 6 holes. Her round of 16 opponent is Choi Ye-rim (22, SK Networks). Defending champion Kim Ji-hyun (30, Hanwha Q CELLS) lost to Lee So-young (24, Lotte) by 1 hole but secured first place in the group with a 2-1 record. She will face ‘Kyochon champion’ Kwak Bo-mi (29, High1 Resort) for a ticket to the quarterfinals. Last year’s Grand Prize winner Choi Hye-jin (22, Lotte) failed to advance to the round of 16 after losing to Choi Min-kyung (28, Huons) by 3 holes.

Other round of 16 matchups include Park Hyun-kyung (22, Korea Land & Trust) vs. Park Ji-young (25, Korea Land & Trust), Ji Han-sol (25, Dongbu Construction) vs. Yoo Hae-ran (20, SK Networks), Lim Hee-jung (21, Korea Land & Trust) vs. Jung Yeon-joo (29, Daebang Construction), Ahn Na-rin (25, MY Munyoung) vs. Park Joo-young (31, Dongbu Construction), and Jang Soo-yeon (27, Dongbu Construction) vs. Hyun Se-rin (20, Daebang Construction). The round of 16 matches will be held on the morning of the fourth day, followed by the quarterfinals in the afternoon.

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