The Spot Left by Yuna... Who Will Become the New Queen?

KLPGA Tour Kicks Off Season in Thailand on the 13th
Blue Canyon Ladies Championship Set to Begin
Top Contenders Lee Yewon, Park Hyunkyung, and Park Jiyoung to Compete
Japan's Yamashita and LPGA Member Park Sunghyun Add Uncertainty

Last year's domestic champion Yoon Ina has left for the United States. This year, attention is focused on who will take her place in the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.

The KLPGA Tour is starting the 2025 season after a long winter break. The season opener is the Blue Canyon Ladies Championship (total prize money of $800,000), held over four days from the 13th at Blue Canyon Country Club (par 72, 6,550 yards) in Phuket, Thailand. Last year, the tournament was played over 54 holes in 3 rounds, but this year it has changed to 72 holes in 4 rounds. The prize money has also increased from $650,000 to $800,000.

Last year, 72 players participated and all received prize money without a cut, but this year the number of participants has increased to 120. Only the top 60 players after the second round will advance to the final rounds.

The KLPGA Tour's top players will all be present. Last year's money leader Yoon Ina, who moved to the U.S. LPGA Tour, is absent. However, the defending champion Lee Ye-won, along with Park Hyun-kyung, Park Ji-young, Hwang Yu-min, Kim Su-ji, Ma Da-som, Lee Ye-won, Noh Seung-hee, Bae So-hyun, and Bang Shin-sil, who ranked 2nd to 10th in last year's money rankings, will all compete. Park Sung-hyun, who has won 10 times on the KLPGA Tour and was the money leader in 2016, will also participate.

Lee Ye-won, who is aiming for a second consecutive victory, said, "Thanks to becoming the inaugural champion of this tournament last year, I had a good first half of the season and achieved three wins. Since this is the first tournament of the season, my goal is to enter the top 10 first. If I play calmly without greed, opportunities will come."

The participation of Miyu Yamashita (Japan), ranked 14th in the world, is considered a variable in the competition for the championship. She is a strong player with 13 wins on the Japan LPGA Tour. She was the money leader in both 2022 and 2023, and after winning twice last year, she advanced to the U.S. stage as the number one in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series. She has also competed in three LPGA Tour events this year, finishing in the top 10 twice, demonstrating world-class performance.

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