'Korea's Number 1' Park Min-ji 'Why Is She So Strong?'

Hunting 5 Wins Including 2 Majors This Year... Leading in Wins and Earnings 'Excitement'
Drive Distance 45th, Greens in Regulation 8th, Putting 14th 'Average Stats'
Outstanding Ability to Create Birdie Opportunities, Strong Endurance Influenced by Handball-Selected Mother

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] She is the trend.

Park Min-ji has swept an impressive 11 wins over the past two years, rising to become the 'Number 1 in the country.' She is an 'all-round player' with hardly any weaknesses in any area.

This is the story of Park Minji (24), the 'No. 1 in Korea.' After finishing 8th in the 2016 Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour qualifying tournament, she joined the first division stage the following year and has shown consistency by winning one title each year from 2017 to 2020. Park Minji's potential exploded starting last year. She swept an impressive 6 wins and surpassed 1.5 billion KRW in season prize money. This year, she is also racing ahead with 5 wins including 2 majors, leading in both wins and prize money (1.26459 billion KRW). Over the past two years, she has accumulated 11 wins. She has already collected a total of 15 championship trophies. The top in this category is the late Ku Okhee and Shin Jiae (34), each with 20 wins. What is the secret behind Park Minji's domination of the KLPGA Tour?

◆ 'No Weaknesses' = Interestingly, looking at detailed data alone, Park Minji is 'ordinary.' This year, her average driving distance ranks 45th (238.57 yards), fairway hit rate 26th (73.33%), greens in regulation 8th (76.23%), and average putts 14th (30 putts). She is neither a long hitter who drives over 260 yards nor a 'putting master' who excels on the greens. Even her bunker save rate is only 41.3793%, ranking 68th.

Nevertheless, despite these statistics, she is called 'No. 1' for a reason. Park Minji handles driver, irons, and putter all above average. She does not show particular strengths in any area but is an 'all-round player' with hardly any weaknesses in any field.

Her greens in regulation rate is especially impressive. She hits the green about 8 times out of 10 shots, meaning she rarely makes bogeys. Park Minji is not a player who safely plays for par. She aggressively attacks the pin, dropping the ball near the hole cup to snag birdies. She ranks 2nd in average birdies (3.85) following Yoon Ina (19, 3.91). On the 10 par-4 holes out of 18, she ranks 1st in average birdies (20.36).

Last week's victory at the Hite Jinro Championship clearly showcased these strengths. Even as competitors faltered and self-destructed in bad weather, Park Minji maintained her performance without major mistakes and never lost control of the game.

Park Minji was greatly influenced by her mother, Kim Okhwa, who won a silver medal in women's handball at the 1984 LA Olympics. She inherited her natural physical strength and strong mental resilience.

◆ 'Fitness First' = Park Minji is 160 cm tall, with a somewhat petite build. However, her fitness is considered among the top in Korea. She is evaluated as having "top 1% fitness and strength among female golf players." The 'athlete DNA' inherited from her mother Kim Okhwa stands out. Kim won a silver medal in handball at the 1984 LA Olympics. She is the hidden supporter who introduced Park Minji to golf and has supported her ever since. Park Minji often says in interviews, "I inherited 100% of my mother's athletic genes."

Her mother Kim emphasized the importance of fitness. When Park Minji was in 6th grade, she trained alongside university students majoring in soccer at Korea National Sport University. She woke up at 5 a.m. and trained for nearly 12 hours until her mouth tasted bitter. The women's handball national team's training is known to be harsh even within the national team. Park Minji explained, "I ran more than 10 km every day."

After COVID-19 in 2020, she focused even more on building her body. During the off-season, she doubled her training volume with weight training five times a week. She built basic fitness through over 2 hours of running, push-ups, pull-ups, and more. Her whole body turned muscular, becoming an 'Energizer.' Park Minji emphasized, "My swing and posture haven't changed, but focusing on fitness training was effective."

Park Min-ji is a true competitor boasting an 83% winning rate in overtime.

◆ 'Playoff Closer' = Enduring hellish training, Park Minji developed a tenacious competitive spirit. When she was in 3rd grade of middle school, her father's business declined, and she wandered for a year and a half without being able to afford lessons. In her senior year of high school in 2016, she competed as a national team member at the Mexico World Women's Amateur Team Championship, winning the team event with Choi Hyejin (23) and Park Hyunkyung (22). At that time, team coach Park Soyoung recalled, "Her desire to win and competitive spirit were extraordinary," and "Her approach shots within 100 meters were very good."

Park Minji has an exceptional fighting spirit. She shows tremendous power in nail-biting playoffs. She won in playoffs at three tournaments: the BC Card · Hankyung Ladies Cup in June, the major KB Financial Star Championship last month, and last week's major Hite Jinro Championship. She has played six playoffs in total and won five of them. Her playoff winning rate is an impressive 83%, higher than Kim Seyoung (29), known as a 'closer,' whose playoff winning rate is 75%. She quickly forgets bad memories and focuses only on the goal ahead. Park Minji smiled, saying, "I like playoffs. If it goes to a playoff, at least second place is secured."

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