Slugger Yuna Yoon, Will She Also Conquer The Heaven?

New Tournament The Heaven Masters Launch
Challenging 2 Consecutive Wins Since Jeju Samdasoo Masters
Bang Sin-sil, Park Hyun-kyung, Lee Ye-won Battle It Out

Yoo In-na is set to shake up the second half of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.

Yoo In-na challenges for consecutive wins in two tournaments at the The Heaven Masters.
[Photo by KLPGA]

She will challenge for the championship at the newly established tournament, The Heaven Masters (total prize money of 1 billion KRW), held over three days starting from the 16th at The Heaven Country Club (par 72, 6,680 yards) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. After securing her second career win in two years at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters on the 4th, she aims for back-to-back titles in two consecutive tournaments.

Since returning this year after the ‘Ogu Play suspension,’ Yoo In-na had been frustrated by her inability to break through with a win. Although she had three runner-up finishes and one third place, she struggled to overcome the final hurdles. However, after claiming her first victory of the season in Jeju, she has risen to the top ranks in various KLPGA record categories. She is currently second in prize money (73,143,000 KRW) and points for the Player of the Year (315 points). She leads the average score category with 69.89 strokes. Additionally, she is dominating the birdies per round category with 4.25 birdies per round.

Notably, The Heaven Country Club, where the tournament is held, previously hosted events under the name Island Country Club. Long hitters such as Kwak Bo-mi, Choi Hye-jin, and Park Sung-hyun have won there. Yoo In-na ranks fourth this year in driving distance with 253.7 yards. She expressed confidence, saying, "The course is generally wide, so I can use my drive shots a lot. Since it favors long hitters, I want to show all the play I want to do."

Bang Shin-sil is expecting her first win of the year. She ranks first in driving distance with 256.5 yards. She recently entered the ‘Top 10’ in two consecutive tournaments, finishing tied for 8th at the High1 Resort Ladies Open last month and tied for 2nd at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters. She said, "My shot and putting feel have both been good recently. Since the course is very windy, I will focus on keeping the fairway, hitting precise wedge shots within 100 meters, and capitalizing on opportunities with short putts." Park Hyun-kyung and Lee Ye-won, who have each secured three wins, are also strong contenders for the title.