Choi Woon-jung, 3rd Place by 1 Stroke: "Regrettable, Hunting for 2nd Career Win"... 'Rookie No.1' Titikun: "I'm the 2-Win Champ"

Choi Woon-jung 6 Under Par in Walmart NW Arkansas Championship FR
Titikun Wins in Playoff... 'Spinal Tumor' Danielle Kang 2nd Place

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the tenacity of Choi Woon-jung (32, photo).

On the 25th (local time), at the final 3rd round of the LPGA Tour Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (total prize money $2.3 million) held at Pinnacle Country Club (par 71, 6,438 yards) in Rogers, Arkansas, USA, she shot 6 under par to finish 3rd (16 under par 197 strokes). She missed joining the playoff by one stroke. Although she failed to achieve her second career win since winning the Marathon Classic in July 2015, she recorded her best performance of the season.

Starting from a tie for 4th place, 2 strokes behind, Choi Woon-jung combined 8 birdies and 2 bogeys. After a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 3) was offset by a bogey on the 4th hole (par 4), she showed a steep rise with three consecutive birdies on the 5th, 6th, and 7th holes. Following a bogey on the 8th hole (par 4), she added three more birdies on the 10th, 12th, and 14th holes, entering the race for the championship. However, despite securing a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5), she was 2% short of a come-from-behind victory.

Choi Woon-jung is a player who earned the nickname “Iron Lady” due to her thorough self-management. In 2014, she became the first Korean to receive the “Sportsmanship Award” selected by tour players, and in 2015 at the Marathon Classic, she succeeded in “156 attempts, 157th try,” breaking the curse of no titles. Since then, she has not won for seven years. After marrying a judge four years her senior last December, she is gradually showing her former form. She performed well with a tie for 6th place at the DIO Implant LA Open last April.

“Rookie No. 1” Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) shot 3 under par to tie with Danielle Kang (USA) at 17 under par 196 strokes, then clinched the “winning birdie” on the second hole of the playoff resumed at the 16th hole (par 4). This is her second win of the season in six months since the JTBC Classic in March, with a winner’s prize of $345,000 (4.9 billion KRW). Thitikul became the first rookie since Park Sung-hyun (29) in 2017 to win two or more times in a season.

Danielle Kang made a brilliant comeback overcoming the adversity of a spinal tumor. After winning her 6th LPGA Tour title at the season opener, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January, Kang temporarily paused tour activities to focus on treatment following the US Women’s Open in June, and returned to the field at last month’s CP Women’s Open. On this day, she showed her former form by shooting 7 under par, including a chip-in eagle on the 18th hole (par 5).