Park Doyoung, Who Made Her Pro Debut in South Africa, Aims for Major Queen Title

Leads HiteJinro Championship 1st Round at 5 Under Par
Best Career Finish: Runner-up at Last Year's E1 Charity Open
Bang Shinsil, Noh Seunghee, Park Hyejun, and Kim Minbyeol Tied for Second

Do-young Park made a refreshing start.

On September 25, at Blue Heron Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,779 yards), she carded eight birdies and three bogeys for a 5-under-par 67 in the first round of the HiteJinro Championship, the final major tournament of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour season with a total prize fund of 1.5 billion won. She finished the round at the top of the leaderboard, two strokes ahead of the group tied for second place.

Do-young Park is teeing off at the 1st hole of the 1st round of the HiteJinro Championship. Photo by KLPGA

Do-young Park is a player who learned golf in South Africa and made her professional debut there. Since joining the KLPGA regular tour in 2019, her best results have been runner-up finishes at the 2022 Wemix Championship and last year's E1 Charity Open. At last year's HiteJinro Championship, she led after the first and second rounds but dropped significantly in the third and fourth rounds to finish tied for 17th place.

Park said, "I had six birdies on the front nine, so it went by easily. There were a few crises on the back nine, but I'm satisfied with my score," adding, "My iron shots were decent, but what really worked was my putting, especially my confidence with mid- and long-range putts." She continued, "I've been using a broomstick putter since last month's BC Card-Hankyung Ladies Cup. As I've adapted to the new putter, my feel has improved."

Currently ranked 78th on the money list, she needs to step up her game for the remainder of the season to retain her tour card. Park added, "In the first half of the year, I wasn't in good physical condition and couldn't find my rhythm, but things have improved in the second half. Now, I'm able to focus on my golf, so I'm not too concerned about the records."

Shinsil Bang, who has collected three wins this year, shot a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 with three birdies, joining the group tied for second place alongside prize money leader Seunghee Noh, Hyejun Park, Minbyeol Kim, and Jungmin Hong. Hyunjoo Yoo, who leads the Player of the Year points, and Yewon Lee, who is tied for most wins, both finished tied for 10th at 1-under-par 71. Last week's Hana Financial Group Championship winner Dayeon Lee is tied for 18th at even-par 72. LPGA Tour member Yoonina is tied for 52nd at 3-over-par 75.

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