Yoo So-yeon 'Two Consecutive Wins in Qualifiers'... Park In-bee '1 Win 1 Draw'

Bank of Hope Match Play Day 2: Ji Eun-hee 'Wins by 4 Holes', Park In-bee Defeats Boutier, Lee Jeong-eun 6 Also Victorious, Kim Hyo-joo Eliminated in Round of 16

Yoo So-yeon continued her winning streak with two consecutive victories in the Bank of Hope Match Play group stage.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] So-yeon Yoo (31, Mediheal) is sailing smoothly.

On the 28th (Korean time), at the Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (par 72, 6,804 yards), So-yeon Yoo defeated the eldest sister Eun-hee Ji (35, 1 win 1 loss, Hanwha Q CELLS) by 4 holes on the second day of the group stage of the LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play (total prize money $1.5 million). This is her second consecutive win after beating Ryan O'Toole (1 draw 1 loss, USA) the day before. A total of 64 players participate, divided into 16 groups like the World Cup in soccer, with the top player from each group advancing to the round of 16.

So-yeon Yoo won the 1st and 2nd holes, lost the 3rd hole, but then took 3 holes at the 6th (all par 4), and 9th to 11th holes, gaining a 5-hole lead. After conceding a birdie at the 13th hole (par 3) and halving the 15th hole (par 4), she wrapped up the match early. Leading the group, she will compete with Im Lee-rim (31, 1 draw 1 loss, NH Investment & Securities) on the third day for a spot in the round of 16. So-yeon Yoo debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2012 and has won a total of 6 titles, including 2 majors.

Before entering the US stage, in 2009, she showed her competitive spirit by winning the Doosan Match Play Championship on the KLPGA Tour after a fierce battle with Hye-yong Choi (31, Mediheal) that extended to the 9th hole of a playoff. However, she has not won for nearly three years since the 2018 Meijer Classic in June. This year, she has played in six tournaments and is showing a clear upward trend with three consecutive top-10 finishes in recent events. Her best result this season is a tie for 3rd at the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Park In-bee is making an iron shot on the 4th hole of the second day of the Bank of Hope Match Play. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

“Golf Queen” In-bee Park (33, KB Financial Group) defeated C?line Boutier (1 win 1 loss, France) by 5 holes. The match was tightly contested all square through 8 holes, but Park won the 9th to 12th holes and the 15th hole (par 4). Her group stage record is 1 win 1 draw, and her final preliminary opponent is Gaby Lopez (1 win 1 loss, Mexico). A victory would mark her second win of the season since the Kia Classic in March and her 22nd career LPGA title. She was also the 2018 Doosan Match Play Championship champion.

Jeong-eun Lee6 (25, 1 win 1 draw, Daebang Construction) defeated Brittany Lincicome (1 win 1 loss, USA) by 5 holes, and Hee-young Park (34, 1 win 1 draw, Isu Group) defeated Sung-hyun Park (28, 1 win 1 loss) by 2 holes. On the other hand, “HSBC Women’s Champion” Hyo-joo Kim (26, 2 losses, Lotte) lost to Ji-eun Shin (29, 1 win 1 loss, Hanwha Q CELLS) by 2 holes, confirming early elimination from the group stage. “ANA Inspiration Champion” Patty Tavatanakit (1 win 1 draw, Thailand) edged out Mi-hyang Lee (28, 2 losses, Volvik) by 2 holes.

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