KLPGA Update

The next KLPGA tournament was the Shinsegae. Everybody was wondering if Ji Yai Shin could win three in a row -- for the second time this season! She is starting to get more media coverage in Korea. Though certainly not at the level Yu Na Kim (the world class Korean figure skater) is receiving, there have been a few articles recently about her training methods and background cropping up. She moved up to 7th in the latest world rankings, second to only Se Ri among the Koreans, and now ahead of Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer.

The defending champion was Jee Young Lee, who was unfortunately still out of action thanks to her shoulder injury. So how did things go in round one?

Well, Ji Yai had an all right start, carding a one under par 71. But that left her in a tie for 23rd. Several other KLPGA stars put themselves on the leaderboard as well. Among those tied for second at 4 under par was Hee Young Park, who continued her great play from the previous week (she finished second then). Hyun Hee Moon and Na Yeon Choi also shot four under par opening rounds. All three stars were looking for their first win of 2007.

The leaders, however, were two relatively unknown players, Bo Mi Kim and Ji Ye Yoh. They both produced 5 under par 67s and had a one shot lead over those aforementioned KLPGA stars (and more importantly, for the moment, a four shot lead over Shin).

In round two, Ji Yai ripped off an impressive 67 to move to within a shot of the lead. Her round consisted of seven birdies against two bogies. Indeed, she would have had a share of the lead had she not bogied the 17th hole. It looks like Ji Yai was primed to make a run at win #7.

Hee Young Park had a decent round, a one under par 71, but once again found herself looking up at Ji Yai and the leaders. However, only two shots behind, you could not count her out, especially if she could regain her momentum in the final round.

The leaders after round two were first round leader Ji Ye Yo (pictured), who shot a 70 on day two, and Na Yeon Choi, who shot a 3 under par 69. Both sat at 7 under par total.

Soo Young Moon represented the LPGA by shooting the round of the day, a sizzling 8 under par 64. She found herself just two shots out of the lead with one to go. Eun Hee Ji, Sun Ju Ahn and Hyun Hee Moon were also right up near the top.

One round to go -- could Shin do it again and grab her third straight win? Or was it time for someone else to shine?

In round three, history was on the line. Not only could Ji Yai Shin win her record shattering 7th event of the year, she could also become the first golfer in KLPGA history to win three events in a row twice in one season. Coming into the final round, she was only one shot behind Na Yeon Choi and Ji Ye Yo.

Yo struggled, as you would imagine she would, and shot a 3 over par 75. But Choi (pictured), a promising young player, has been in the shadows of Shin all year, and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Boy, did she! She went out in two under par 34 to rise to 9 under total, then added another birdie on the par 5 11th to move to 10 under. Shin, meanwhile, had only a birdie and a bogey on the front nine, and suddenly found herself three shots back. She was not able to birdie the par 5 11th, either, and things were looking good that someone would finally end the monopoly Shin, Eun Hee Ji and Sun Ju Ahn have had on the winner's circle in 2007.

Another superstar without a win in 2007 was Hee Young Park. She unfortunately started her day with a double bogey, but fought back with two birdies to move to 5 under total after nine. She added birdies on 11 and 13, and moved into second place. But Choi also made a birdie on 13 and maintained a three shot lead as holes were running out. In the end, Park came up short in her bid to win her first event of the season.

Shin made one final attempt to catch Choi with a birdie on the 14th, but she immediately bogied the next hole. It would be no victory march for the seemingly unstoppable Ji Yai Shin today; she tied for 6th with Hee Young at 6 under. It was actually the second worst performance by Shin all year, only her second finish outside of the top five!

Only one golfer still had a chance to catch Choi, and that was Eun Hee Ji. When Ji birdied the par 5 15th and Choi bogied it, Ji was still four shots behind. But Ji birdied the last two holes to finish at 8 under total, closing the gap on the young leader. In the end, Choi was too tough to catch, however. She birdied the 16th and finished the round at 11 under par total.

And so, Na Yeon Choi at last won her first event of the 2007 season, and she beat a fully stocked field of KLPGA stars to do it. Congratulations to her!