'Modified Stableford' Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship Final Day 19 Points '4-Point Difference Cheers', Anna Lin 2nd, Park Hyun-kyung Tied 13th
Lee Jeong-min (center) is receiving a shower of flower petals in celebration immediately after winning the Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship. Photo by KLPGA
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is Jeongmin Lee's (29, Hanwha Q CELLS) 'comeback show.'
On the 17th, at Jeonbuk Iksan Golf Course (par 72, 6,569 yards), the final day of the newly established Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour tournament, Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship (total prize money 1 billion KRW), she swept up a whopping 19 points to complete a 4-point victory (51 points). This marks her 9th KLPGA Tour win in total, her first since the World Ladies Championship in March 2016, 5 years and 7 months ago, with a winner's prize of 180 million KRW. The tournament was held using the KLPGA Tour's first modified Stableford scoring system.
Points were awarded per hole as follows: albatross 8 points, eagle 5 points, birdie 2 points, par 0 points, bogey -1 point, double bogey or worse -3 points, and the winner was determined by the total points accumulated. Jeongmin Lee started in 8th place, 8 points behind, and recorded 10 birdies (and 1 bogey). After her first birdie on the 2nd hole (par 5) and 'stepping stone birdies' on the 5th and 7th holes, she took a brief breather with a bogey on the 8th hole (par 3). In the back nine, after reducing one stroke on the 10th hole (par 5), she delivered a stunning performance with 'two sets of three consecutive birdies' on holes 12 to 14 and 16 to 18.
Jeongmin Lee debuted in 2010 and gained the spotlight as the 'Match Queen' by winning the Doosan Match Play Championship that same year. She had a strong run with 8 wins, including 2 wins in 2014 and 3 wins in 2015, but surprisingly fell into a slump. She struggled through a dark tunnel due to injuries and tee shot troubles. This year, she signaled a comeback by entering the top 3 three times, and ended her severe title drought with a miraculous birdie streak on this day.
Over four days, she recorded 1 eagle, 26 birdies, and 6 bogeys. "I'm not usually a very aggressive player," she said with a bright smile, "but playing in this new format brought out a more aggressive side of me." Lee, who said "the wounds I received from golf became fear," added, "I always ended up playing passively because I couldn't overcome fear at the end," but expressed confidence, saying, "Now that I've overcome those wounds, I believe I can do well next time too."
Arin Anna (25, Munyoung Group) added 11 points to finish strong in 2nd place (47 points). Six-time champion Minji Park (23, NH Investment & Securities) started 4 points ahead but only added 5 points with 4 birdies and 1 double bogey. She tied for 3rd place (45 points) with Suyeon Jang (27, Dongbu Construction). Soyoung Lee (24) took 5th place (43 points), and Hyejin Choi (22, both from Lotte) finished 6th (42 points). Hyunkyung Park (21, Korea Land Trust), ranked 3rd in prize money, ended the tournament tied for 13th place (36 points).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
