Park Minji "5 Wins Are Not Enough"... Takes the Lead with 7-Stroke Reduction

SK Shielders-SK Telecom Championship 2R: 7 Birdies Without Bogeys
Madasom, Bae Sohyun, Cho Ayeon, An Songyi 2 Strokes Behind in 2nd Place
Kim Suji in Tied 6th Ahead of Yoo Hae-ran, Eyes Top of Points Race

Park Min-ji is teeing off on the 2nd hole of the 2nd round at the SK Shielders-SK Telecom Championship on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. Photo by KLPGA.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seohee] Park Minji (24), who ranks first in prize money, demonstrated her resilience by making 7 birdies and quickly took the lead.

On the 12th, at the Ravie Belle Country Club (Par 72) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, during the second round of the KLPGA Tour SK Shielders-SK Telecom Championship (prize money 1 billion KRW), Park Minji swept up 7 birdies and shot 7-under-par 65. With a total score of 9-under-par 135, she is in the lead. She is 2 strokes ahead of the group tied for second place: Mada Som (23), Bae Sohyun (29), Cho Ayeon (22), and An Songyi (32).

Park Minji showed perfect performance without allowing a single bogey that day. Starting at the 1st hole, she recorded birdies on the 3rd, 5th, and 8th holes, reducing 3 strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, she consecutively made birdies on the 10th, 14th, 16th, and 17th holes, cutting 4 more strokes. Park Minji, who recorded the daily best score that day, jumped 16 places from the previous day and quickly took the top spot on the leaderboard.

Having recorded 6 wins last season and enjoyed the best year of her career, Park Minji will reach 6 wins again this season if she wins this tournament. Starting with her victory at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship in May, she has currently recorded 5 wins up to her October win at the Hite Jinro Championship. She has also earned 1,277,921,143 KRW in prize money this season, achieving over 1 billion KRW in prize money for two consecutive years following last year.

However, as expected in the final tournament of the season, the chase from the second-place group is fierce. An Songyi, the 2019 champion of this tournament, scored 4-under-par 68 with 5 birdies and 1 bogey, placing her in a tie for second place (7-under-par 137). Along with her are Bae Sohyun, who led after the first round, Cho Ayeon, aiming for her third win of the season, and rookie Mada Som. These four players are all tied for second place, aiming for a come-from-behind victory on the final day.

Kim Suji (26), who ranks first in the Grand Prize points and average score categories, managed to reduce only 2 strokes with 3 birdies and 2 bogeys, dropping 3 places to a tie for sixth (6-under-par 134).

However, Yu Haeran (21), who is competing with Kim Suji in both categories, remains tied for 14th at 4-under-par 140, so Kim Suji still holds a significant advantage.

After the round, Park Minji said in an interview, "Today’s game felt like every putt was going in, to the point where I wondered if even those would go in." She added, "There were many shot crises, but I succeeded in all the long putts at those times. It was a play with no regrets."

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