'Domestic Opening Match Champ' Lee Yewon "Going for 2 Consecutive Wins~"

‘Domestic Season Opener Champion’ Lee Ye-won is aiming for her second consecutive victory.

Lee Ye-won will challenge for the title at the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship (total prize money 1 billion KRW), which opens on the 13th at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do (par 72, 6,652 yards) on the KLPGA Tour. This year, LPGA members from Mediheal such as Yoo So-yeon, Kim Se-young, and An Na-rin have joined, making the competition for the championship even fiercer.

Ye-won Lee challenges for her second consecutive win at the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship.

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Lee Ye-won succeeded on her 33rd attempt in 32 tournaments at last week’s Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open held in Jeju. She showed outstanding skills last season by winning Rookie of the Year and finishing third in prize money, but had failed to cross the threshold of victory several times until she finally secured her first win. Lee Ye-won said, "I still can’t believe I won my first career title, but just challenging for back-to-back wins makes this tournament very meaningful." She added, "Ferrum Club has difficult green settings and requires careful course strategy," and vowed, "I will play as calmly as possible."

It is the title defense for Park Ji-young, last year’s inaugural champion. Park Ji-young demonstrated her strength by achieving a ‘wire-to-wire’ victory last year. In December last year, she secured her first win early in the 2023 season at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Ladies Open. Her shot form is at its peak, as evidenced by her tie for second place at last week’s Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open. Park Ji-young said, "This is the tournament I have been waiting for the most this year," and vowed, "I definitely want to achieve a consecutive title defense, which I have never done before."

‘Domestic No. 1’ Park Min-ji is aiming for her first win of the season again. Strong contenders for the title include Lee Jung-min, winner of the PLK Pacific Links Korea Championship last December, as well as Lee So-young, Park Hyun-kyung, and Kim Su-ji. Additionally, the ‘first foreign player’ Li Shuying (China) and European powerhouse Lin Maria Grant (Sweden) are also on the list. The whirlwind performances of ‘big rookies’ such as Kim Min-byeol, Kim Seo-yoon, Kim Ga-young, Jung So-i, Lee Ji-hyun, and Kim Min-seon are also worth watching.

The performance of the ‘Mediheal squad’ is also highly anticipated. An Na-rin, who is active on the LPGA Tour in the United States, will appear in front of domestic fans for the first time in two years. She said, "It feels very special to participate in a domestic tournament after such a long time," and added, "It feels both familiar and new, so I am preparing for the tournament with excitement." She continued, "I have solidified my fundamentals through training camp in Vietnam," and confidently stated, "My goal is to win."

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