Song Ga-eun "2 Wins Are Wire-to-Wire"..."I Will Write in Today's Diary That I Did Well"

Daebo House Open Final Day 4-Under Par '3-Stroke Victory', Oh Ji-hyun 2nd, Park Min-ji Tied 10th "3-Tournament Title Defense Stops"

Song Ga-eun is being showered with congratulatory water by her colleagues immediately after winning the Daebo House Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘Wire to wire’

Last year’s Rookie of the Year Song Ga-eun (22) broke the ‘second-year curse’ by winning the Daebo House D Open (total prize money 1 billion KRW) held on the 10th at Seowon Valley Golf Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,741 yards) on the KLPGA Tour. She took the lead with a course record of 10-under par on the first day and added 4-under par on both the second and third days, comfortably securing a 3-stroke victory (18-under par 198). This was her first win of the season and her second career victory, with a winner’s prize of 180 million KRW.

Song Ga-eun advanced to the KLPGA Tour last year after playing on the Dream (2nd tier) Tour in 2020. She caused a sensation by winning the Hana Financial Group Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion KRW), the largest prize money tournament in Korea, in October. At that time, she defeated Minjee Lee (Australia), the Evian champion, in a three-hole playoff, drawing even more spotlight. In 29 tournaments, she recorded one win and six top-10 finishes, earning the Rookie of the Year title at the end of the year. It is rather surprising that she faced a rough start this year, missing the cut three times in five early-season events.

Her main weapon, ‘stingy putting,’ faltered. Fortunately, she changed the momentum with a tie for 7th at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship in May and 5th place at the Doosan Match Play. Starting the day with a 2-stroke lead, she made four birdies on holes 2 (par 3), 8-9, and 14 (par 4). "In the morning, Unni Ahn Sun-joo advised me that when feeling nervous in the final round’s champion group, it’s better to play with the mindset of chasing rather than just defending," Song said. "I actually focused on every hole and every shot, overcoming the pressure," she added.

Song Ga-eun is giving an exhilarating kiss to the trophy immediately after winning the Daebo House Open. Photo by KLPGA

It is important to note that Song Ga-eun is a short hitter with an average driving distance of 234.78 yards (81st on the KLPGA Tour). She plays with a style that relies on accuracy, boasting a fairway hit rate of 79.96% (20th). Above all, her ‘stingy putting’ stands out with an average of 29.46 putts per round (4th). Song, who said "the course suited me perfectly," also added, "Today, my putting was especially good, so I will write in my diary that I played well," and expressed her goal of becoming a multiple winner.

Oh Ji-hyun (26, Daebang Construction) finished 2nd (15-under par 201), while Yoo Hae-ran (21) and Kwak Bo-mi (30) tied for 3rd (14-under par 202). The challenge of ‘defending three titles in one season’ by three-time champion Park Min-ji (24, NH Investment & Securities) ended at a tie for 10th place (11-under par 205). In KLPGA Tour history, the late Koo Ok-hee (who won the 1982 Suwon Open, Donghae Open, and KLPGA Championship) is the only player to have achieved this. Park Min-ji will depart on the 15th to participate in the LPGA Tour major, the Amundi Evian Championship in the United States.

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