'2 Wins in Jeju' Lee Yewon: "I Also Had My First Victory in Jeju"

Cheers in Overtime at Doosan Construction We’ve Championship
1st in Prize Money, 2nd in MVP and Average Score 'Leap'
"Remaining Season Goals: Major Win and MVP Title"

Last year's Rookie of the Year, Lee Ye-won, considers Jeju Island her "promised land."

In April, she claimed her first professional victory at the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women's Open, the domestic season opener of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, held at Lotte Skyhill CC Jeju. It was her first win after debuting on the KLPGA Tour and competing in 33 tournaments. On the 13th, Lee Ye-won made headlines again at Teddy Valley Golf & Resort (par 72, 6,735 yards) in Seogwipo, Jeju Island. In the newly established Doosan Construction We’ve Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW), she tied with rookie Kim Min-seon 7 at 10 under par (206 strokes) and then secured the winning birdie on the first hole of the playoff at the 18th hole (par 4). This marked her second win of the season in just four months, with a winner’s prize of 216 million KRW.

Lee Ye-won became the fourth multiple winner this year, following Park Min-ji, Park Ji-young, and Lim Jin-hee. She rose to first place in the prize money rankings (725,924,197 KRW), second in the points for the Player of the Year award (344 points), and second in scoring average (70.55 strokes). In a post-victory interview, she said with a bright smile, “I don’t know why I’m so strong in Jeju. Now that I think about it, my first-ever win in golf (at age 13 in the National Youth Sports Festival) was also in Jeju,” adding, “I didn’t expect to get my first professional win and multiple wins in Jeju.”

Lee Ye-won is receiving a celebratory shower of flower petals immediately after winning the Doosan Construction We’ve Championship.
[Photo by KLPGA]

Lee Ye-won’s strength lies in her stable ball striking. She consistently delivers solid performances without fluctuation. She has made the cut in all 17 tournaments she has entered this year, with an impressive seven top-10 finishes. Lee said, “There are still many big tournaments ahead. If I keep working hard like this, I think I can become the prize money champion,” but added firmly, “My goal from the start of the season was the Player of the Year award. I want to earn that by maintaining consistent results.”

One of Lee Ye-won’s advantages is the accuracy of her shots. Although her average driving distance is 243.37 yards (ranked 43rd), her fairway hit rate is 79.24% (17th), and her greens in regulation rate is 75.47% (7th). Her average number of putts is also decent at 29.98 (28th). She explained, “The biggest strength of my golf is the accuracy of my driver tee shots. The course for this tournament has Bermuda grass, where it’s difficult to hit accurate shots if the tee shot misses the fairway. Thanks to my good tee shots, I was able to win.” Regarding why her tee shots are so accurate, she emphasized, “I practice 50 to 100 empty swings every day before going to sleep. Empty swings are a great training method that improves both distance and accuracy.”

After a slump following her first win, Lee Ye-won has been performing well as the hot weather began. She has not finished outside the top 11 in her last three consecutive tournaments. She credits her winter fitness training for this improvement. Lee analyzed, “I deliberately went to Perth, Australia, a hot region, to prepare for the heat. After the first half of the season ended, I took a good rest to recharge my stamina and refined my disrupted swing, which had a positive effect.”

Another goal for Lee Ye-won is to win the major KB Financial Star Championship. She has received support from KB Financial since her amateur days and signed a sponsorship contract with them in 2021. Lee expressed her determination, saying, “I have yet to win a major tournament. Blackstone Icheon, where the KB Financial Star Championship is held, is a course I like. I definitely want to achieve this at a tournament sponsored by my sponsor.”