[2022 New Start⑬] ‘Dream Tour 4th Prize’ Madasom "From Consistency to Rookie of the Year"

Jump Tour 1 Win and Dream Tour 2 Wins 'Winning Streak', Equipped with Precise Driver and Iron "From Domestic to the US"

‘Dream Tour Prize Money 4th Place’ Madahsom expressed her confident ambition, saying, "I will become the Rookie of the Year with consistent performance." Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘The epitome of consistency’.

This is what people say about rookie Madah Som (23, Q Capital Partners) on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. She is the same age as Choi Hye-jin (Lotte) and Lee So-mi (SBI Savings Bank), who are already dominating the professional scene. After joining the KLPGA Tour in 2020, she progressed through the Jump (3rd tier) Tour and Dream (2nd tier) Tour before joining the regular tour this year. “I debuted a bit late as a pro, but I want to go slowly and steadily in my own way,” she said, expressing her determination to “challenge for Rookie of the Year.”

Madah Som, who started playing golf in the 5th grade of elementary school, is a player known for her characteristic diligence. She is steadily climbing the ranks to reach the top. In the 13th event of the Jump Tour in 2020, her first appearance as an amateur, she finished 15th, then 5th in the 14th event, and achieved her first career victory in the 15th event. She followed this with a runner-up finish in the 16th event, earning her KLPGA associate membership. In November of the same year, she placed 3rd in the KLPGA 2020 full membership qualifying tournament.

Last year, she also thrived on the Dream Tour. Starting with a win in the 10th event, she collected another trophy in the 13th event. Including two wins on the Dream Tour, she entered the top 10 ten times and finished 4th in prize money (77.99 million KRW). She secured a first-tier tour card, which is awarded to the top 20 in prize money. Madah Som’s solid fundamentals and skills, honed through a long amateur career, stand out. She proudly says, “I can confidently hit the driver anytime.”

Her iron play and putting are also commendable, with a greens in regulation rate of 79.96% (14th) and an average of 30.39 putts (26th) on the Dream Tour. Above all, she possesses a positive mindset. She does not dwell long on mistakes. She is also making steady progress on the regular tour, finishing tied for 44th at the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open two weeks ago and tied for 10th at last week’s Mediheal-Korea Daily Championship. “The regular tour stage is highly competitive,” she said, humbly acknowledging, “I still have many areas to improve.”

Her immediate goal is to win the KLPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. This year, there are many ‘super rookies’ such as Yoon Yi-na (Hite Jinro), Lee Ye-won (KB Financial Group, both 19), Kwon Seo-yeon (Woori Financial Group), and Seo Eo-jin (Hite Jinro, both 21). “There are many talented rookies, so it will be a tough race,” she predicted. After succeeding domestically, she dreams of joining the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. “I want to succeed on the American stage someday,” she said with bold ambition.