Park Minji Cheers for 4th Win "I'm Number 1~"... Park Hyunkyung '2nd Place, 1 Stroke Behind'

Celltrion Queens Masters: 1-Stroke Victory for 8th Career Win, An Ji-hyun 3rd, Jang Ha-na Tied 9th

Park Min-ji is receiving a shower of flower petals from her teammates immediately after winning the Celltrion Queens Masters. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae] ‘Domestic No. 1’ Park Min-ji (23·NH Investment & Securities) celebrates her 4th win.

On the 13th, at the final 3rd round of the KLPGA Tour Celltrion Queens Masters (total prize money 800 million KRW) held at Seo Seoul Golf Club Lake-Hill Course (par 72, 6,536 yards) in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, she surged with a 5-under-par to achieve a 1-stroke come-from-behind victory (15-under-par 201 strokes). This is her 4th win of the season and 8th career win, just three weeks after winning the Doosan Match Play Championship on the 23rd of last month, with a winner’s prize of 144 million KRW.

Starting tied for 2nd place, 1 stroke behind, Park Min-ji recorded 7 birdies and 2 bogeys. After a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4) was offset by a bogey on the 2nd hole (par 5), she secured the top spot on the leaderboard with consecutive birdies on holes 5 and 6 and a 3-birdie streak from holes 14 to 16. Although she made a bogey on the 17th hole (par 3) when her tee shot landed behind the green, she clinched the victory with a 1.5-meter birdie putt on the final 18th hole (par 4). Her precise shots stood out with a fairway hit rate of 85.71% and a green in regulation rate of 83.33%.

Since joining the tour in 2017, Park Min-ji has consistently won at least one tournament each year, including the Samchully Together Open during her rookie season. This year, she has solidified her dominance by winning 4 times early in the season despite playing only 8 of 9 tournaments. She leads in wins, prize money (648.05 million KRW), and points for the Player of the Year award (263 points). She expressed joy, saying, "Resting last week helped. After the first win, I played more comfortably, which seems to have led to good results."

Park Hyun-kyung (21·Korea Land & Housing Trust) performed well by shooting 5 under par but was satisfied with 2nd place (14-under-par 202 strokes). An Ji-hyun (22·Mediheal) shot 3 under par to achieve her personal best, finishing 3rd (13-under-par 203 strokes). Jang Ha-na (29·BC Card), who was aiming for back-to-back wins, competed closely for the lead with 4 birdies in 10 holes. However, critical mistakes with consecutive bogeys on holes 12 and 13 and a double bogey on hole 17 left her tied for 9th place (9-under-par 207 strokes).