Latest KLPGA Events

The KLPGA season is still in full swing, and being that there have been a few weeks lately where the LPGA either hasn't been in session, or else only a few golfers were able to play (the Solheim Cup), the KLPGA has been picking up some of the slack by inviting some of the idle golfers to come play on their tour. And not just the Korean golfers from the LPGA either, but several other LPGA stars as well. Without further ado, let's check out some of these events!

The week of the Solheim Cup, the KLPGA hosted the SK Enclean Invitational. Among those 'invited' were Shi Hyun Ahn and Gloria Park, who were eager to see if they could add a KLPGA title to their resumes. But after round one, the lead was held by two amateurs: 17 year old Ji-Ae Shin and 17 year old Song Hee Kim, who both shot 4 under par rounds. Shin in particular has established herself as a top amateur in Korea, with numerous high profile achievements to date. Tied for third were defending champion and KLPGA star Bo Bae Song, and Gloria Park, who both produced 69s, while another teen sensation, Na Yeon Choi, shot a 70.

It's not so unusual to see a teenager, even an amateur, do well at a Korean event, and once again that's what continued to happen in round 2. Ji-Ae Shin shot a 5 under par 67 to vault to a 9 under par total. The round consisted of 5 birdies and no bogies. This gave her a four shot lead over Bo Bae Song, who shot a 70 to finish in solo second at 5 under par.

There were five players tied at 4 under, including Kyeong Bae, who had recently gained her tour card by finishing third on the Futures tour, and who was also the top money earner on the KLPGA tour in 2005. The other amateur who was tied for the first round lead (Song Hee Kim) shot a one over par second round and sat in solo 8th place at 3 under par.

Gloria Park shot one over and was in 9th at 2 under. Shi Hyun Ahn shot a 70 and was at -1 total, tied with Na Yeon Choi.

Shin hung on to win, although it was not a cakewalk. She scored a double bogey and a bogey, but also collected five birdies to score a 2 under par 70 and a three day total of 11 under.

The player who came closest to beating her was Kyeong Bae. She started with ten straight pars, but then made birdies on 5 of the last 8 holes to shoot a 67. This gave her a 9 under par total.

Among those tied for third, but well back of those two, were Bo Bae Song and Gloria Park at 5 under total. Gloria in fact made a bogey on the final hole to fall out of solo third place; she had a 69 on the final day, while Bo Bae shot 72.

Shi Hyun Ahn shot a 69 herself to move to 4 under, good for a tie for 5th. Na Yeon Choi ended up at 1 under total, T18, while the previous week's winner Ga Na Lee finished T21 at 1 over par.

Shi Hyun Ahn practices before the
SK Enclean Invitational

Gloria Park in round 1

Bo Bae Song

Ji-Ae Shin

So who is Ji-Ae Shin? She started playing golf in 1994, and five years later won her first significant amateur event in 1999. But in 2003, tragedy befell her family. Her mother got into a terrible car accident which cost her her life. Shin was also in the car, but survived. Her two younger siblings were seriously injured, and had to spend a year in the hospital recuperating. She has struggled on to become perhaps the best amateur in Korea, but it has not been easy, as one can imagine. She dedicated her first professional victory at this event to the memory of her mother.

Ji-Ae is not a very tall golfer at all, measuring only a little more than 5 foot 1 inch in height, but she is powerful, with drives that frequently exceed 270 yards in length. Expect that sometime in the next few years she will become a golfer to be reckoned with!