[2022 New Start⑧] ‘Dream Tour Champion’ Kwon Seoyeon "Looking Forward to Regular Tour Results"

Dream Tour Prize Money 2nd Place Leads KLPGA Tour Return, Short Game Training in the US "Eager to Get Back on the Field"

‘Dream Tour Champion’ Kwon Seo-yeon challenges for the KLPGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "I want to step onto the field as soon as possible."

This is the sentiment of Kwon Seo-yeon (21, Woori Financial Group), a former ‘Dream Tour Champion of Champions’. Last year, she confidently re-entered the 1st division stage by securing 2 wins and finishing 2nd in prize money (91.89 million KRW) on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Dream (2nd tier) Tour. Kwon Seo-yeon, who said, "Just thinking about taking shots in front of galleries excites me," smiled brightly, adding, "With this feeling, I think I can achieve good results on the regular tour as well. Please look forward to and support rookie Kwon Seo-yeon."

Kwon Seo-yeon is a promising player who represented the national team for three years. In 2019, she tied for 12th place at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, hosted by Augusta National where the ‘Masters Tournament’ is held. She also made memories as the first Korean female player to play at Augusta National. She debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2020 but realized the high barrier of professional golf. She missed the cut five times in seven tournaments and lost her tour card, finishing 125th in prize money (9.86 million KRW).

Her personal best was 64th place at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters. Reflecting on this, she said, "I was overly eager but not properly prepared," and "As my confidence dropped, my poor performance deepened." Last year, she persevered on the Dream Tour. After claiming her first professional win at the 5th Dream Tour event at Tolvist and Phoenix CC in May, she capped off the season with a brilliant victory at the Q Capital Partners Dream Tour Champion of Champions in October. She showed strong resilience by finishing in the ‘Top 5’ in the last three tournaments.

"The more tournaments I played on the Dream Tour, the more I adapted, and the long-awaited win came," she said. "I realized again that effort pays off." She is in her third year as a professional. Her classmate is Yoo Hae-ran (21, KTB Financial Group), who has already accumulated 4 wins on the KLPGA Tour. Since she only participated in seven regular tour events in 2020, she qualifies as a rookie again this year due to ‘minimum tournament participation requirements not met’. Kwon Seo-yeon stands tall at 172 cm and drives the ball 250 yards.

Her most confident weapon is her ‘piercing iron shots’. Last year, she ranked 2nd in greens in regulation (84.52%). She is currently focusing on training in the United States. She is building the stamina and strong mental strength needed to compete in a full season. She keeps a golf journal and is reading a book called ‘Super Mental Training’. To avoid repeating mistakes, she is honing her short game around the greens. Although "there are many contenders for Rookie of the Year this season," she expressed confidence, saying, "I will compete aiming for both wins and the Rookie of the Year award."