‘Revival of the Skilled’... "Ignited KLPGA Second Half Race"

'Daese' Park Minji Takes a Breather, 'Traditional Powerhouses' Oh Jihyun and Lee Dayeon March On, 'Three-time Grand Prize Winner' Choi Hyejin Joins In

Oh Ji-hyun, Lim Hee-jung, and Lee Da-yeon (from left) made a perfect comeback by winning in the second half of the KLPGA Tour.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is becoming increasingly interesting.

This is about the second half of the 2021 season of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. In the first half, Park Min-ji (23, NH Investment & Securities) dominated. She competed in 16 tournaments this season, sweeping up 6 wins including 1 major. She led in wins, prize money (1,256.56 million KRW), and points for the Player of the Year (484 points). Since joining the KLPGA Tour in 2017, she had won at least once every year until last year, showing her formidable 'power.' As the 'trendsetter,' she ruled the tour.

However, she has recently taken a brief pause. Since winning the Daebo House Open on the 11th of last month, she has not collected any trophies. Although only 7 weeks have passed, considering her unstoppable pace, the time feels quite long. While she has no wins, her skills remain strong. She tied for 3rd at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in July and tied for 2nd at the High1 Resort Ladies Open last month. She is pushing forward to achieve the highest prize money (1,333.09 million KRW) and most wins (9 wins) in the domestic women's season.

While Park Min-ji is slowing down, the revival of traditional strong players is welcome. Oh Ji-hyun (25, KB Financial Group) started the comeback. At the Jeju Samdasoo Masters, she earned her 7th career win, her first in 3 years since winning this tournament in August 2018. She showed clear recovery with a tie for 2nd at the High1 Resort Ladies Open. Following her, Lim Hee-jung (21, Korea Land & Housing Corporation Trust) won her 4th career title at the High1 Resort Ladies Open, her first in 1 year and 10 months since the KB Financial Star Championship in October 2019.

Lee Da-yeon (24, Mediheal) completed her 6th career win last week at the major Hanwha Classic, her first in 1 year and 8 months since the Hyosung Championship in December 2019, which was included in the 2020 season. She achieved a stunning 7-stroke victory at the 'tough course' Jade Palace Golf Club. She broke Oh Ji-hyun's tournament record low score (13-under-par 275) from 2017 by 6 strokes. In both the 3rd and 4th rounds, she boasted a green hit rate of 88.89% with her 'pinpoint iron shots.' She said, "I will become a better player going forward."

"Choi Hye-jin, who won the grand prize three consecutive times, is a strong contender likely to win in the second half of the KLPGA Tour."

There are many stars hoping for their first win of the season in the second half. Choi Hye-jin (22, Lotte), who won the Player of the Year award for three consecutive years, is one of them. Although she was expected to dominate the tour this year, she has struggled with a win drought, only entering the top 10 seven times. However, her outstanding skills remain, as she placed in the top 3 twice in the last four tournaments. Players close to winning include Lee Ga-young (22, NH Investment & Securities), Yoo Hae-ran (20, SK Networks), and Park Joo-young (31, Dongbu Construction).

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