The Korea Times

World-class female golfers to compete on Jeju Island

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The Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open will take place over four days starting today at the par-72 Lotte Skyhill Jeju Country Club. More than 120 women golfers will compete in the event offering 600 million won (roughly $533,000) in total prize money.

The favorites to clash on Jeju include big names such as Jang Ha-na, Kim Hyo-joo, Lee Seung-hyun, Jang Su-yeon and defending champion Lee Jeong-eun. But considerin­g the slight difference in their playing abilities, it is difficult to predict who will win the champion’s trophy of the 2018 KLPGA season opener. You could expect a surprise winner. A pack of unknown players eager to clinch victory are participat­ing in the event.

Among notable LPGA players who won the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open are Kim Sei-young and Kim Hyo-joo. They have been successful in the United States.

After all, winning a tournament in the Korean LPGA Tour indicates a high chance of clinching a winner’s trophy on the LPGA Tour. Park Sung-hyun and Ko Jin-young are proving that this holds true. And this is why the KLPGA Tour is attracting the world’s attention.

To confirm this further, Ji Eun-hee won with an ace on Sunday two weeks ago to capture her fourth career win on the LPGA Tour at the Kia Classic.

Incidental­ly, Park had to be content with second place at the ANA Inspiratio­n, the first women’s major of the season held from March 29 to April 1. Pernilla Lindberg beat Park after an epic eight-hole playoff to win her first major. The play-off was stopped after four holes on Sunday because of darkness. The Swede Lindberg holed from 25 feet for an incredible birdie on the par-four 10th at Mission Hills Country Club. However, seven-time major winner Park could not overcome the nerve-racking pressure and failed to follow suit from 15 feet.

Indeed, more than 20 golfers from the KLPGA are competing on the LPGA Tour. They are showing off Korea’s stable, commanding position as the world’s powerhouse of golf. Yang Hee-young, Jenny Shin, Lee Jeong-eun, Choi Eun-jeong, Ryu So-yeon, Chun In-gee, Kim In-kyung, Kim Sei-young, Lee Mi-rim, Lee Mi-hyang and Choi Na-yeon are strongly competing.

Now, Park In-bee is at the top of the LPGA Tour Official Money List with earnings of $480,221. Ko Jin-young stands fifth on the LPGA Tour Money List with $328,101, Ji Eun-hee is at eighth place with $303,525.

Ko Jin-young, 22, made history in Australia, becoming the first player in 67 years to win her debut LPGA tournament. Beverly Hanson was the only other player to do it in 1951 at the Eastern Open. Ko was guaranteed LPGA privileges after she won the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championsh­ip last October. Ko’s victory gave her a strong head start in the race for Rookie of the Year honors. In the last three years, the Rookie of the Year has been a Korean golfer.

As it always has done, the Korean LPGA will give birth to new stars this year who will startle the world of golf, and promising players will start to turn up first at the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open. Let’s just wait and see who will be the next heroine or protagonis­t.

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