[Hyunjun Kim's Golf File] Why 'Korea's No. 1' Park Minji is Strong: "The Drive is Enjoyable Golf"

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Cheerful golf."

The play of Park Min-ji (23), the 'No. 1 in Korea,' is always lively. Her face is full of smiles, and even when the gallery makes noise or her shots are not good, she steadily continues the game. This was evident last August on the first day of the MBN Ladies Open at the 6th hole (par 5), when she recorded a staggering 10 strokes, a 'Quintuple Bogey.' Her actual strokes were 6, but 4 penalty strokes were added due to a golf rule violation. She candidly reflected, saying, "It was the first time in 12 years that I learned the term 'Quintuple Bogey,'" and "It was a great lesson."

Park Min-ji debuted on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour in 2017 and immediately made headlines by winning the Samchully Together Open in April. As a former national team member, she won the team event at the 2015 World Team Amateur Championship, earning full membership in the KLPGA, and directly qualified for the tour by placing 8th in the 2016 qualifying tournament. Her consistency is remarkable, accumulating wins every year, including the ADT Caps in November 2018, the MBN Ladies Open in August 2019, and a 'back-to-back' victory at the MBN Ladies Open in August 2020.

Last year was a highlight. She swept 6 wins in the first 11 events: the Nexen Saintnine Masters in April, the NH Investment & Securities Ladies and Doosan Match in May, the Celltrion Queens Masters and the 'national title' Korean Ladies Open in June, and the Daebo House D Open in July. This earned her the nickname 'Blackhole.' Particularly, she was crowned 'Match Queen' at the Doosan Match and secured a major championship trophy at the Korean Ladies Open, firmly establishing her 'Golf Queen Charisma.'

Park Min-ji's extraordinary power starts with her long drives averaging 241.97 yards (43rd) and a green hit rate of 78.93% (3rd), delivering 'needle-like iron shots.' Her putting is also outstanding, with an average of 29.93 putts per round (15th) and an average score of 69.93 strokes (1st). Additionally, her stamina and relentless competitiveness shine especially on the final day or in playoffs. During the Doosan Match final, she demonstrated her hunter instinct, saying, "I was determined to give it my all on the field."

It is interesting that her mother, Kim Ok-hwa, was a silver medalist in women's handball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Park Min-ji, who said she "was always scolded by her mother while playing golf," recalled, "From a young age, I underwent rigorous physical training, and when doing squats, even when I felt like I was dying at 20 reps, she made me do 1 or 2 more. Looking back now, I think my mother's urging at the limit helped build my current stamina and mental strength."

With innate 'sports DNA,' strong basic physical strength, and 'ironclad mentality,' she has virtually no weaknesses. Park Min-ji's dominance has triggered a 'Catfish effect.' Players like Lee So-mi (23) and Lim Hee-jeong (22) have shared that they were motivated because of "Min-ji unnie." Although the early season was stalled by COVID-19, she has already won 3 times, including back-to-back victories at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies in May and the Celltrion Queens Masters last month.

This time, she is challenging to defend three tournament titles for the first time in 40 years. This will be at the Daebo House D Open, starting on the 8th at Seowon Valley Golf Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. In KLPGA Tour history, the late Koo Ok-hee (who won the Suwon Open, Donghae Open, and KLPGA Championship in 1982) is the only player to have achieved this. After skipping the McCol Open, which ended on the 3rd, to conserve energy, she introduced herself saying, "I will focus every moment and immediately shake off any mistakes." The path Park Min-ji takes is the history of the KLPGA Tour.

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