'3rd Year' Jung Yoonji "5th Extra Extension Birdie for First Career Win"... Defending Champ Ji Han-sol Runner-up (Summary)

In E1 Charity Open, 3-Stroke Comeback Show: Haminsong and Lee Soyoung Tied for 2nd, Lee Somi and Jeon Yesung Tied for 5th

Jung Yoon-ji is cheering behind after making the winning birdie on the fifth hole of the playoff on the final day of the E1 Charity Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the comeback victory of Jeong Yoon-ji (22, NH Investment & Securities), a "third-year" player.

On the 29th, at the South Springs Golf Course in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,546 yards), in the final 3rd round of the KLPGA Tour E1 Charity Open (total prize money 800 million KRW), Jeong shot 4 under par to tie with defending champion Ji Han-sol (Dongbu Construction), Ha Min-song (Lotte, both 26), and Lee So-young (25, Lotte) at 8 under par 208. Then, on the fifth hole of the playoff at the 18th hole (par 4), she made the "winning birdie." Making her debut in 2020, she earned her first victory in three years and received 144 million KRW in prize money.

Jeong Yoon-ji started from a tie for 9th place, 3 strokes behind, and made 4 birdies without any bogeys. She was quiet in the front nine, making only one birdie at the 4th hole (par 4), but dramatically took the lead on the leaderboard by adding 3 birdies at the 13th, 16th, and 18th holes in the back nine. In the first playoff among four players, Ha Min-song was eliminated after making a par. In the fourth playoff, Lee So-young was eliminated after making par. Jeong secured the victory by sinking a precious 4-meter birdie on the fifth playoff hole.

Jeong Yoon-ji is the player who won the silver medal in the women's team event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games alongside Lim Hee-jung (22, Korea Land & Housing Corporation) and Yoo Hae-ran (21, Daol Financial Group). She entered the professional stage with high expectations but only watched her peers born in 2000, such as Lim Hee-jung, Cho Ah-yeon (Dongbu Construction), and Park Hyun-kyung (Korea Land & Housing Corporation), win tournaments. Her best results were runner-up finishes at last year's BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup and this year's NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship.

"I can't believe I won," said Jeong Yoon-ji, "I'm holding back tears," and cheered, "I'm so happy." Regarding the playoff, she explained, "My opponents in the playoff were amazing seniors, so I was very nervous at first," adding, "As the playoff continued, I relaxed and played comfortably in the end." She also showed tears, saying, "When my national team peers kept winning, I congratulated them, but it was mentally tough for me."

Jihan Sol is reading the putting line on the 3rd hole on the final day of the E1 Charity Open. Photo by KLPGA

Ji Han-sol's attempt at a second consecutive victory ended with a runner-up finish. Despite making birdies in the first and fourth playoffs, she could not win. Last year's runner-up Ha Min-song also faltered again just before the top spot. Lee So-mi (23, SBI Savings Bank) and Jeon Ye-seong (21, Angang Construction) performed well, tying for 5th place (7 under par 209). Jang Ha-na (30, BC Card) tied for 22nd place (3 under par 213), Cho Ah-yeon tied for 34th (1 under par 215), and Park Hyun-kyung tied for 45th (1 over par 217).

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