'Yangbak Showdown'... Park Minji's 2 Consecutive Wins vs Park Jooyoung's 2 Consecutive Victories

Clash at Major Tournament HiteJinro Championship
Lee Dayeon, Lee Yewon, Park Jiyoung Strong Favorites
‘Overseas Players’ Park Sunghyun and Park Heeyoung Join as Recommended Players

It is a ‘Yang Park showdown.’

Park Min-ji and Park Joo-young will face off in a battle of pride at the 23rd Hite Jinro Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW), the last major tournament of the year on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, held on the 5th at Blue Heron Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,763 yards). Defending champion Park Min-ji is aiming for her second consecutive win, while ‘mom golfer’ Park Joo-young is looking for back-to-back victories.

Park Min-ji aims for her second consecutive win at the major tournament HiteJinro Championship.

Park Min-ji is a strong title defender. She has achieved consecutive wins five times so far, ranking second in history following the late Ku Ok-hee’s eight consecutive wins. The record for the most title defenses in a season is three, set by Ku Ok-hee in 1982 (Suwon Open, Donghae Open, KLPGA Championship). Park Min-ji achieved a three-peat and a two-peat consecutively at the Celltrion Queens Masters and BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup in June. If Park Min-ji secures a second consecutive win at the Hite Jinro Championship, she will tie Ku Ok-hee’s record for the most title defenses in a season.

Park Min-ji tends to perform well in major tournaments where the course is difficult and the pressure is intense. However, the challenge is how much she can recover her noticeably declining form recently. In her last three tournaments, she missed the cut once and finished outside the ‘top 10’ twice. Her shot accuracy dropped, and she struggled on the greens. Park Min-ji said, “I am truly honored and pleased to participate as the defending champion,” adding, “I definitely want to succeed in defending my title.” She further analyzed, “As the temperature drops and the weather gets colder, the greens become harder. Sending tee shots to the fairway to accurately target the greens will be more important than anything else.”

'Mom Golfer' Park Ju-young challenges for her second consecutive win at the Hite Jinro Championship.

Park Joo-young achieved her first career victory in her 14th year last week at the Daebo House D Open. Riding that momentum, she is hoping for a second consecutive win. Park Joo-young expressed confidence, saying, “When asked every year which tournament I want to win the most, I remember saying this tournament first,” and added, “I will show another good performance following last week.”

Lee Da-yeon is also a strong contender. She is on an upswing after winning her second title of the season last month at the Hana Financial Group Championship. If she wins the Hite Jinro Championship, she will become the first player on the KLPGA Tour to win all four major tournaments. The KLPGA Tour recognizes a ‘career grand slam’ only when a player wins all five major tournaments.

Other dark horses include Lee Ye-won, who leads in prize money and points for the Player of the Year, Park Ji-young, who has secured three wins this year, and Kim Soo-ji, the 2021 champion of this tournament. Overseas player Park Sung-hyun is participating as a recommended player. She finished third last year after competing for the title throughout the four days. Park Joo-young’s older sister, Park Hee-young, is also on the list. A veteran with three wins on the U.S. LPGA Tour, she has a connection to this tournament, having won her first KLPGA Tour title here in 2004 as an amateur.

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