'Surprise 2nd Place' Jeon Hyomin: "Rookie Storm Is Ongoing"... Yu Hae-ran Leads by One Stroke

Nexen and Saintnine Mazters Day 3: 4 Under Par, Kwon Seoyeon 3rd, Park Gyeol and Jang Hana Tied 5th in Chase

Jeon Hyo-min is holing out at the 1st hole on the third day of the Nexen Saintnine Mazters. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "I was surprised too."

It is the ‘rookie whirlwind’ of Jeon Hyo-min (23). On the 23rd, at the Gaya Golf Club in Gimhae, Gyeongnam (par 72, 6,813 yards), the third day of the 3rd round of the 2022 KLPGA Tour Nexen Saintnine Masters (total prize money 800 million won), she added 4 under par to take 2nd place by 1 stroke (13 under par, 203 strokes). Yoo Hae-ran (21, Daol Financial Group) took the lead (14 under par, 202 strokes), and another rookie Kwon Seo-yeon (21) is chasing in 3rd place, 2 strokes behind (12 under par, 204 strokes).

It is interesting that Jeon Hyo-min is a former short track speed skater. She started golf in elementary school, turned professional in 2018, and played on the Dream (2nd tier) Tour until last year. Her best result in six KLPGA Tour events last year, where she secured a conditional card, was a tie for 31st at the E1 Charity Open in May. She re-entered the KLPGA Tour this year through the qualifying tournament at the end of last year but missed the cut in the first two events, so she has yet to make a strong impression.

However, in this tournament, she made a surprise spurt with 6 under par on the first day and 3 under par on the second day. Her three-day average green hit rate of 81.48% showcased her ‘computer iron shots,’ complemented by 28.33 putts per round of ‘water-saving putting.’ On this day, she recorded 5 birdies and 1 bogey. It was somewhat regrettable that her 3.6-yard par putt on the 17th hole (par 3) and 2.8-yard birdie putt on the 18th hole (par 4) both narrowly missed. She cheered, saying, "My drive shot distance increased by more than 10 yards, which gave me confidence," and added, "I will enjoy the gallery’s support without greed."

Yoo Hae-ran made 5 birdies on holes 2, 5, 9, 16, and 18. Especially, the ‘stepping stone birdies’ on the final 16th and 18th holes powered her to the top of the leaderboard. This is an opportunity for her to claim her 5th career win, five months after winning the final event of the 2021 season, the SK Shielders SK Telecom Championship, in November last year. She vowed, "I will play with even more fighting spirit tomorrow." Jeon Ye-seong (21) is in 4th place (10 under par, 206 strokes), followed by Park Gyeol (26, Samil Pharmaceutical) and Jang Ha-na (30, BC Card) tied for 5th place (9 under par, 207 strokes).

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