Kim Haerim "Title Defense"... 'Domestic No. 1' Park Minji Takes a 'Break'

Mekkol and Mona Park Open 2nd Consecutive Title Defense, Lee Gayoung's Rematch, 'Beauty Golfer' An Sohyun Joins

"Egg Golfer" Kim Hae-rim challenges for a 2nd consecutive win at the McCol·Mona Park Open.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Haerim (33) is aiming for her second consecutive victory.

She is defending her title at the McCol·Monapark Open (total prize money 800 million KRW) of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, held on July 1 at Birch Hill Golf Club in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province (par 72, 6,434 yards). A total of 132 players will compete in a 54-hole stroke play over three days. It is notable that ‘beauty golfer’ Ahn Sohyun (27) and Bae Kyungeun (37) have been recommended as players. Park Minji (24), the ‘domestic number 1’ who secured her third win of the season last week at the BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup, chose to rest.

Kim Haerim is famous as the ‘egg golfer.’ She ate 30 eggs daily for driving distance and set a great record of three consecutive wins from 2016 to 2018 at the Kyochon Honey Ladies Open, sponsored by one of Korea’s leading chicken companies. In KLPGA history, winning the same tournament three times in a row has not been achieved since Kang Sooyeon (46, retired) at the Hite Jinro Championship (2000?2002), 16 years ago. She has collected seven trophies in total on the domestic stage.

In July 2017, Kim Haerim made a surprise win as an invited player at the Samantha Thavasa Ladies Open on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour. Last year, she shot five under par on the final day to tie with Lee Gayoung (23), then clinched the victory with a winning birdie on the first hole of the playoff at the 18th hole (par 5). It was her first win in three years and two months since the Kyochon Honey Ladies Open in May 2018. She attracted attention by playing the first day pushing her electric cart herself without a caddie.

This season, Kim Haerim has participated in 12 tournaments and made it to the final round nine times. Her only ‘top 10’ finish was a tie for 8th place at last month’s E1 Charity Open. She recalls the thrilling memory of her ‘wire-to-wire’ win a year ago. “I’m excited to appear as the defending champion after a long time,” said Kim Haerim, expressing strong confidence, “When defending the title, I receive a lot of attention from those around me, which helps me focus better and gain more energy.”

Last year's runner-up, Lee Ga-young, aims for revenge at the McCol and Mona Park Open.

This is Lee Gayoung’s revenge match. Despite shooting 8 under par on the final day last year, she finished in second place. This year, she has shown an upward trend with five ‘top 10’ finishes including two runner-ups, ranking 5th in prize money (326.17 million KRW). Yu Haeran (21), ranked second in the ‘Player of the Year’ standings, is a strong contender for the title. If she wins this tournament, she can tie for first place with Park Minji. She also has a good course compatibility, having finished third last year. Past champions such as Lee Soyoung (25) in 2016 and Park Chaeyoon (28) in 2018 have also joined the field.

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