The KLPGA kicked off the season with a win by Sim Hyun-hwa, who claimed the first professional title of her career at the Lotte Mart Women’s Open on Jeju Island on Sunday.
Although it is impossible to predict how the rest of the season will go after just one game, experts are predicting that this year won’t be much different from last because no single woman dominates the KLPGA.
In fact, last year, only three golfers - Lee Bo-mee, Yang Soo-jin and Ahn Shin-ae - collected multiple wins from 21 KLPGA tours. Lee won three, while Yang and Ahn captured two trophies each. Each of the other 14 tournaments had their own champion.
This week, however, golf fans may find it easy to pick the winner of the Hyundai E&C Seoul Economy Women’s Open, which starts on Friday at the Suwon Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi.
The tournament has some of the best golfers in the field, including last year’s KLPGA Player of the Year, Lee Bo-mee, who is clear favorite to win this year.
Lee is part of an elite group of players who were all born in 1988. All have played in the tournament since it started in 2007 and all have impressive titles to their names.
It is the general consensus among golf experts that these ladies have the best depth of talent among the other age groups in the KLPGA. And all of the previous tournament winners have been born in the same year.
Shin Ji-Yai was the LPGA tour money winner in 2009 and was the first player to win the Hyundai E&C Seoul Economy Open in ’07. Later, the baton was passed to Kim Ha-neul, Lee Hyeon-ju and Lee Jeong-eun, all of whom were born in 1988.
Lee Bo-mee, the tournament favorite, is playing her third KLPGA season. She got off to a good start this year, hitting seven-under-par in the final round of the Lotte Mart Open to finish third.
For Lee, winning the Hyundai E&C Seoul Economy Open is a long-held dream.
“I know all of the past winners were born in 1988 and I want to be one of them,” Lee said to Ilgan Sports. “The golf course is right next to my home, so I’m sure I’ll feel comfortable throughout the tournament.”
Lee had a breakout season last year when she was named player of the year. She also earned the most tour money and had the lowest scoring average among others in the league.
This year, Lee played her first game in Japan when she participated in the Yokohama Tire PRGR Ladies Cup in March. She led the first round until the earthquake and tsunami forced the tournament’s cancellation.
At Friday’s tournament, she will be looking to get her first win of the season, backed by her drive shot and accurate putting.
But she will have plenty of competition. Other 23-year-olds that could take the tournament are Kim Hyun-ji and Nam Min-ji.
Kim, who has two KLPGA career wins, has a driver shot that averages almost 260 yards. Nam hasn’t collected any wins in the KLPGA tour since her debut in 2006 but she is hoping to cash in on the luck of her fellow 1988ers with her accurate iron shots.
There are also several golfing veterans looking to make their mark against the youngsters, especially those who have come back to the KLPGA after playing in the U.S. LPGA: Chung Il-me, Park Hee-jung and Lee Jung-yeon.
Chung and Park, both previous KLPGA tour money winners, are off to slow starts this season, having missed the cut in the Lotte Mart Open. But both have said they are looking forward to reviving their careers with a win.
Ji Eun-hee and Lee Jee-young, who both play in the U.S. LPGA, are also coming back to Korea to participate the event.
By Moon Seung-jin, Joo Kyung-don [kjoo@joongang.co.kr]
source) http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2935055
