'210 Jeon 211 Gi' Choi Eun-woo "Comeback Victory with 4-Stroke Lead"

Choi Eun-woo Scores 6 Under Par in Nexen·Saintnine Masters Final Round
Go Ji-woo Takes 2nd Place, Lee So-mi and Kim Su-ji Tie for 3rd
Lim Hee-jung and Kim Min-byeol Tie for 5th, Park Ji-young 12th

It is the ‘210 attempts and 211th try’ for Choi Eun-woo, now in her 9th year.

On the 23rd, Choi Eun-woo shot 6 under par in the final 3rd round of the Nexen Saintnine Masters (total prize money 800 million KRW) of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, held at Gaya Country Club in Gimhae, Gyeongnam (par 72, 6,818 yards), to claim a one-stroke victory (9 under par 207). She won for the first time in her 211th tournament since debuting on the KLPGA Tour in 2015. The winner’s prize money is 144 million KRW.

Choi Eun-woo is teeing off at the 2nd hole of the final 3rd round of the Nexen Saintnine Masters.
[Photo by KLPGA]

Starting from a tie for 4th place, 4 strokes behind, Choi Eun-woo showcased a perfect performance with 6 birdies and no bogeys. She reduced her score by 3 strokes in the front nine with consecutive birdies on holes 6 and 7 and another birdie on hole 9 (par 5), entering the race for the championship. After jumping to a tie for the lead with back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14, she secured a crucial birdie on hole 16 (par 5) to complete her come-from-behind victory.

Choi Eun-woo spent her junior years in Australia, then progressed through the Dream (2nd tier) Tour before joining the KLPGA Tour in 2015. Her best season was in 2018 when she ranked 30th on the money list. Last year, she finished 34th on the money list. Over 210 tournaments, she had entered the top 10 nineteen times, including one tie for 2nd place, before finally tasting the joy of her first career win. Choi said tearfully, "Today is my father’s birthday. This has become the best gift," and expressed gratitude to her father who supported her behind the scenes.

Go Ji-woo shot an impressive 7 under par to finish in 2nd place (8 under par 208). Lee So-mi, who was the leader the previous day, struggled with 1 over par and dropped to a tie for 3rd place (6 under par 210), along with Kim Su-ji. Lim Hee-jung, Kim Min-byeol, and Lee Da-yeon tied for 5th place (4 under par 212), while Li Shiying (China), the first foreign player, tied for 8th place (3 under par 213). Park Ji-young finished tied for 12th (2 under par 214), Park Gyeol and Ji Han-sol tied for 14th (1 under par 215), and Park Hyun-kyung ended the tournament tied for 25th (even par 216).