'306 Million Won'... "Prize Money Ranking from Lowest to 17th"

Third Major Hanwha Classic Opens on the 24th
Total Prize Money 1.7 Billion KRW 'Highest Prize Money in Domestic Women's Tournament'
Prize Money Ranking 7th Can Reach 1st with Victory

It is a "War of Money."

This is the story of the Hanwha Classic, the third major tournament of the 2023 season on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, held over four days from the 24th at Jade Palace Golf Club (par 72, 6,777 yards) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. It is a special tournament that will shake up the prize money rankings. This year, the total prize money has been increased by a whopping 300 million KRW from last year's 1.4 billion KRW to 1.7 billion KRW. It is the highest prize money for a domestic women's tournament. The winner's prize has also increased by 54 million KRW to 306 million KRW, the largest ever. If a player with zero prize money this year wins, they can leap straight to 17th place in the prize money rankings with this enormous amount.

The Hanwha Classic will be held with the largest total prize money in Korea, amounting to 1.7 billion KRW, and a winner's prize of 306 million KRW. The fierce battleground is the Jade Palace Golf Club, famous for its challenging course.

Because the prize money is so large, the outcome of this tournament is expected to change the landscape of the prize money race. If the top five players in the prize money rankings?Lee Ye-won, Park Ji-young, Lim Jin-hee, Park Hyun-kyung, and Park Min-ji?win, they can comfortably maintain their number one position for a while. Mathematically, even Kim Min-byeol, ranked 6th, and Hong Ji-won, ranked 7th, can rise to first place in the prize money rankings if they win.

The second-place prize money is also 187 million KRW, which exceeds the winner's prize money of many other tournaments. The prize money received by Han Jin-sun, the champion of last week's High1 Resort Ladies Open, was 144 million KRW. The third-place prize money at the Hanwha Classic is also as high as 136 million KRW. There is a possibility that even the runner-up or third place could claim the top spot in the prize money rankings. The tournament organizing committee explained, "We increased the total prize money to support the KLPGA Tour's growth as a globally competitive sports platform," adding, "We aim to provide motivation for winning and present a differentiated tournament to golf fans."

Hong Ji-won is the defending champion. Last year, she surprised everyone by defeating all strong competitors to win this tournament. In June, Hong Ji-won won again at the DB Group Korea Women's Open, the second major of the season, earning the nickname "Expert of Difficult Courses." If Hong Ji-won wins, she will become the second player after Park Se-ri, who achieved three consecutive wins from 1995 to 1997, to successfully defend the Hanwha Classic title. She said, "My shots and putting are similar to this time last year," and added, "I have also managed my physical condition well, so I will do my best to achieve back-to-back victories."

Atthaya Thitikul, the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year last year, will participate in the Hanwha Classic as a special invitee.

Park Min-ji, last year's runner-up, along with Lee Ye-won, Park Ji-young, and Lim Jin-hee, will compete for their third win of the season. Attention is also on whether Han Jin-sun can achieve her second consecutive win. World No. 12 Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand), who is participating as a special invitee, is another player to watch. She won two tournaments on the LPGA Tour last year, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and at one point held the world No. 1 ranking. Overseas players sponsored by Hanwha, including Kim A-rim, Ji Eun-hee, Kim In-kyung, Shin Ji-eun, and Lee Min-young, are also aiming for a win in their home country after a long time.

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