[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Hanjin-seon (25) experienced the thrill of her first victory in the 131st event of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.
On the 21st, Hanjin-seon recorded a 4-under-par 68 in the final round of the Women's Open (total prize money 800 million KRW) held at High1 Resort Country Club (par 72) in Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon Province, finishing with a total score of 11-under-par 277 to win the tournament.
Hanjin-seon, who edged out Choi Ye-rim (23) and Yoo Hae-ran (21) by two strokes, claimed her first victory in her sixth season since debuting in 2017. Achieving her first win in her 131st event, Hanjin-seon tied for 4th place in the record for most starts before first victory alongside Kim Soon-hee, currently serving as the executive director of the KLPGA. The record for most starts before first victory is held by Ahn Song-yi (32), who won after 236 events.
In this tournament, Hanjin-seon made a comeback in the final round by scoring three birdies late in the round to secure the win. Starting the final round in second place, three strokes behind, she lost a stroke with a three-putt bogey on the 4th hole (par 5), seemingly falling out of contention for the title.
However, Hanjin-seon bounced back with stepping-stone birdies on the 6th (par 3) and 8th holes (par 3), then took the lead with birdies on the 13th hole (par 4) and 14th hole (par 3), and sealed her victory with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 4). Receiving a winner's prize of 144 million KRW, Hanjin-seon rose to 22nd place in the prize money rankings with 274.08 million KRW.
Choi Ye-rim, who finished as runner-up by one stroke at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters on the 7th, was pushed out of the title race in the final stages and finished second again after two weeks. Despite making three birdies, Choi Ye-rim missed the chance for solo second place due to a bogey on the 18th hole (par 4), adding to her disappointment.
Yoo Hae-ran, who lowered her score by four strokes without any bogeys in the final round, secured her 12th top-10 finish and firmly maintained her lead in the points race for the Player of the Year award. Ahn Sun-joo (35), who started the final round as the solo leader by three strokes and was aiming for her 8th KLPGA Tour victory in 13 years, dropped five strokes and fell to a tie for 8th place (5-under-par 283), possibly due to fatigue. Park Min-ji (24), ranked first in prize money, finished the tournament tied for 28th place (even par 288) after shooting an even-par 72.
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