[2020 New Start⑤] LPGA Rookie Jeon Ji-won "My Idol is Park In-bee"

Q Series 16th Place: The Only Korean Player with a Full Seed "This Year's Goals Are One Win and Rookie of the Year"

Jeon Ji-won leads Korean players as the Rookie of the Year for six consecutive years in the 2020 LPGA Tour season. Photo by IMG

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "Pro Park In-bi is my idol."

Jeon Ji-won (23, KB Financial Group), a rookie on the 2020 U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, secured a full tour card as the only Korean player by finishing tied for 16th at the LPGA Qualifying (Q) Series last winter. She nurtured her dream watching legends like Park Se-ri (43) and Lorena Ochoa (Mexico) during her childhood. "I’m thrilled to stand on the same stage as Pro Park In-bi," she said, adding her determined goal for this year is "one victory and Rookie of the Year."

Born in Daegu, she started playing golf in the third grade of elementary school. Winning a domestic junior tournament in her third year of middle school in 2012 changed her life. That surprise victory earned her a scholarship for a one-year study program at Hills International College in Australia. She became deeply passionate about golf and enrolled at Daytona State College in the U.S., where she won five times over two years and was named the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Player of the Year. In 2018, she was scouted by the University of Alabama.

Jeon Ji-won became widely known to golf fans at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur held in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. Although she finished runner-up after losing to Kristen Gillman (U.S.) in the 36-hole match play final, her amateur ranking soared to third in the world. This was the highest ranking among Korean female amateurs over the past two years. Last year, she demonstrated her potential by finishing tied for 62nd at the U.S. Women’s Open, a national title event in the U.S.

Jeon Ji-won is a master of greenside bunker shots using a 60-degree wedge. Photo by IMG

It is remarkable that she passed the LPGA Tour Q-Series on her first attempt while balancing academics and sports. This is why KB Financial Group and Mizuno recognized Jeon Ji-won’s potential early and decided to sponsor her. She is currently on leave from school and has entered the professional world. Experts praise her, saying, "She is armed with excellent character and diligence, showing limitless growth potential." Her average driving distance is 240 yards, and she competes more with precision than power.

Jeon Ji-won is especially strong in short games around the green. She has an outstanding ability to maintain her score. She uses four wedges, with her most confident club being the 60-degree wedge. During vacations, she trains intensively on the white sandy beaches of Sodo Island near Anmyeondo, Chungnam, where her maternal grandmother lives. She never makes mistakes in greenside bunkers. The University of Alabama coach who developed Justin Thomas (U.S.) called Jeon Ji-won the "number one bunker shot player." She said, "I’m more comfortable in bunkers than in the rough."

She is determined to "win Rookie of the Year with her first professional victory." Starting with Kim Se-young (27) in 2015, followed by Jeon In-ji (26) in 2016, Park Sung-hyun (27) in 2017, Ko Jin-young (25) in 2018, and Lee Jeong-eun 6 (24) in 2019, she aims to continue the six-year streak of Korean Rookie of the Year winners. Jeon Ji-won made her debut at the ISPS Handa Vic Open on the 6th. She performed well, tied for 11th after two rounds, but collapsed with 14 over par in the third round and missed the cut, experiencing the "bitter taste." She said, "It was a good experience," and gathered her resolve.