Lee Jung-min "Proud of Myself for Achieving 10 Wins"

Victory After 14 Months at KLPGA Tour PLK Pacific Links Korea Championship
30-Year-Old Veteran Power, "I Wondered If I Could Achieve 10 Wins in My Career"

Lee Jung-min is holding a press conference immediately after winning the PLK Pacific Links Korea Championship. Binh Duong (Vietnam) - Photo by Choi Tae-won

[Binh Duong (Vietnam) = Reporter Choi Tae-won] "I'm proud to have achieved 10 wins."

On the 18th (local time), Lee Jung-min topped the leaderboard with a final score of 9-under-par 207 at the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour PLK Pacific Links Korea Championship (total prize money 700 million KRW) held at Twin Doves Golf Club (par 72) in Binh Duong, Vietnam.

This marks her 10th victory on the KLPGA regular tour since her first win at the 2010 Doosan Match Play Championship.

After securing her 9th win at the Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship last October, Lee had not won for 14 months until she collected the winner’s trophy at the second tournament of the 2023 season. The winner’s prize money is 126 million KRW.

Born in 1992, Lee Jung-min has entered her 30s. The victory holds special meaning as she achieved it amid rising young players and declining stamina.

At the post-victory press conference, Lee candidly shared her thoughts. She said, "I started to feel that winning was not easy anymore. Many young players are coming up, the course lengths are getting longer, my stamina is decreasing, and I often wondered if I could reach 10 wins during my career."

She did not hide her ambition for more wins. She stated, "I’m curious myself how far I can go. If I prepare steadily as I have been, I believe good opportunities like today will come. I’m not a player who aims just to be in the ‘top 10’ or ‘top 50.’ Even if I fail 10 times, winning once is better," she emphasized.

However, she also expressed that she would not push herself recklessly. "I felt it strongly this year. Even though I had injuries early on, I kept playing in tournaments. As a result, I was swinging not in a way that was good, but in a way that didn’t hurt. Now that I’m in my 30s, my goal is to finish my career without injuries," she stressed.

Lee Jung-min also expressed regret over the gradual decrease of veteran players. She said, "Only two friends (born in 1992) remain on the tour. I hope that the older players and friends gain confidence from seeing my win in 2023," she concluded.

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