This year’s ‘unbeaten powerhouses’ – Min Byul Kim, So Mi Lee and Hyun Kyung Park – will make a final push in the remaining three events of the 2023 Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour season. Having established themselves as the undisputed favorites for the title and the money list, it will be interesting to see if they can make it count in the back-to-back events in Jeju and the season finale in Chuncheon.
South Korean rookie Kim Min-byul has established herself as an undisputed force on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour this year, finishing fourth on the Order of Merit (484 points) and fifth on the money list (714.98 million won). Her 11 top-10 finishes, including three runner-up finishes, including two overtime losses, made her the most accomplished player without a win. It was especially disappointing to see her fall in a tiebreaker with Hong Ji-won and Madasom at the Korean Women’s Open in June, the country’s top tournament. 굿모닝토토 주소
Kim is also leading the Rookie of the Year race, with Hwang Yoo-min and Bang Shin-sil in second and third place. Hwang Yoo-min has one win and Bang Shin-sil has two, but Kim Min-byul’s consistency has allowed her to maintain her dominance in the rookie trifecta.
Kim will try to win another title at the SK networks Seoul Economy Ladies Classic at Finks GC in Jeju, South Korea, starting on Sept. 26. She has been knocking on the door at the top of the leaderboard in every tournament, and it will be interesting to see if she can make it happen in just her 27th event.
Lee is fifth on the money list ($711.15 million), while Park is sixth on the money list ($694.67 million). While Lee Ye-won, Park Ji-young, and Lim Jin-hee formed the top group with three wins apiece, Kim Min-byul, Lee Somi, and Park Hyun-kyung dominated the middle of the pack without a win. Below them are Park Min-ji, Hwang Yoo-min, and Bang Shin-sil.
Lee So-mi will be looking for her first win of the season as the defending champion in Jeju for the second straight week. After winning the Seoul Economy Ladies Classic last year, Lee is fresh off back-to-back victories at the S-Oil Championship. Last week at the Sangsangin Korea Economic Times TV Open, Lee held the final day lead but bogeyed the 17th (par-5) hole after sending her second shot into the next hole and finished third.
Lee, nicknamed the “Queen of the Wind” for her low trajectory ball striking in strong winds, will be hoping to defend her title for the second consecutive year, as three of her five career victories have come on Jeju. “I’m not going to try to hit low just to be conscious of the wind. I will try to choose the right pitches according to the situation,” she said, adding, “Although my recent results have been good, I am not satisfied and want to finish the season with better results.”
Park Hyun-kyung, who has been nicknamed the “perennial runner-up” after finishing runner-up three times this year, is also eager to shake off the jinx before the year ends. Fans are eagerly waiting for the clock to start ticking, as it hasn’t since the 2020 KLPGA Championship (May).