Minji Park 6 Over Par 78... 'An Uncharacteristic Score'

KB Financial Star Championship 1R Tied 52nd
2 Birdies, 6 Bogeys, 1 Double Bogey Recorded
Season-High 3rd Title Defense 'Warning Signal'

‘Domestic No. 1’ Park Min-ji also has moments of vulnerability.

Defending champion Park Min-ji scored 6-over-par 78 in the first round of the KB Financial Star Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW), the fourth major tournament of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour season, held on the 7th at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,689 yards). She is tied for 52nd place. She trails the joint leaders?‘Top Earner’ Lee Ye-won, ‘Match Queen’ Sung Yu-jin, Lee Ga-young, and Park Bo-gyeom?who are at 1-under-par 71, by 7 strokes.

Park Min-ji is reading the green on the 4th hole of the 1st round at the KB Financial Star Championship.
[Photo by KLPGA]

Park Min-ji made 2 birdies, 6 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. She started shakily with three consecutive bogeys on holes 1 to 3. Although she seemed to change the momentum with a birdie on the 4th hole (par 4), she faltered sharply with consecutive bogeys on the 7th and 8th holes, a bogey on the 11th hole, and a double bogey on the 12th hole (both par 4). At least she secured a birdie on the 17th hole (par 4) to keep hopes alive for the second round. She struggled with the long rough and inconsistent green speeds.

Warning signs have appeared in Park Min-ji’s pursuit of a historic record. In June, she achieved a three-peat at the Celltrion Queens Masters and a two-peat at the BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup. If she wins this tournament, she will have recorded three separate two-peat victories this year alone, tying the season record for most title defenses held by the late Gu Ok-hee.

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