Park Minji 'Going for 2 Consecutive Wins' vs Lee Yewon 'Defending Prize Money No.1'

Major KB Financial Star Championship Pride Battle
Park Ji-young, Lim Jin-hee Compete for Season's 3rd Win
Jeon In-ji Joins, Kim Su-ji Challenges for 2 Consecutive Major Wins

Park Min-ji and Lee Ye-won clash in Icheon.

The KB Financial Star Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW), the fourth major tournament of the KLPGA Tour season, is held for four days from the 7th at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,689 yards). Park Min-ji is aiming for her second consecutive win. Lee Ye-won is defending her No. 1 spot in the prize money rankings. Jeon In-ji, who plays on the LPGA Tour, returns to the domestic stage after a year. She was the champion of this tournament in 2015. As a sponsored event by KB Financial, the KB Financial Star Championship is an event she never misses every year.

Park Min-ji challenges the season's most title defenses at the KB Financial Star Championship.

Defending champion Park Min-ji is a master of title defenses. She has achieved back-to-back wins five times so far. This is the second-highest record in history, following the late Ku Ok-hee’s eight consecutive defenses. The record for the most title defenses in a single season is three, set by Ku Ok-hee in 1982 (Suwon Open, Donghae Open, KLPGA Championship). In June, Park Min-ji achieved a three-peat at the Celltrion Queens Masters and a two-peat at the BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup. If Park Min-ji achieves back-to-back wins at the KB Financial Star Championship, she will share the season’s most title defenses record with Ku Ok-hee.

Park Min-ji prefers challenging courses. Blackstone Golf Club is long and has complex routes leading to the greens. Park said, “It is a great honor to participate as the defending champion in a major tournament. I want to win here once again.” She added, “My condition, stamina, shots, and putting are all good. I have finished warming up for the title defense,” showing confidence.

Lee Ye-won aims to maintain her position as the top prize money earner at the KB Financial Star Championship.

Lee Ye-won is also a strong contender for the championship. She has two wins this season and leads the prize money rankings with 893.38 million KRW. She skipped last week’s KG Ladies Open to prepare for this tournament. Lee Ye-won dreams of becoming the ‘Major Queen’ at this event. She is sponsored by KB Financial, the tournament organizer. Having played here for three consecutive years as a junior, she knows Blackstone Golf Club inside out. Lee said, “My goal is to do my best to finish in the top 10. My condition and shot feel good. I will also defend my No. 1 spot in the prize money rankings,” expressing her determination.

Park Ji-young and Lim Jin-hee, who are competing with Park Min-ji and Lee Ye-won for the first to reach three wins this season, also dream of winning their first major title. Kim Soo-ji, who gains strength noticeably in the fall, is aiming for her second consecutive major win following the Hanwha Classic. Attention is also on whether Seo Yeon-jung, who won her first career victory in her 260th start at the KG Ladies Open, can achieve back-to-back wins. Seo Yeon-jung confidently said, “I feel confident that I can achieve good results in this tournament as well.”