Wonju native Park Ji-young 박지영 (27, Korea Land Trust) became the second multiple winner of the season at the final event of the first half of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour. She moved into first place in both the money list and the points standings.
Park shot a 2-under 70 with three birdies and a bogey in the final round of the EverCollagen-Dusiena Queen’s Crown ($800,000) at the par-72, 6408-yard Dusiena Country Club in Jeju City on Saturday. With a final total of 18-under-par 270, Park won the title by two strokes over runner-up Lee Seung-yeon (16-under-par 272).
Park, who won the 2023 season opener, the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open, last December, followed it up with two runner-up finishes to earn her second win of the season in eight months.
Since winning her first title at the S-Oil Champions Invitational in 2016, her second year on the tour, Park has now won six times in her career, joining Minjee Park on the season’s ‘multiple winners’ list. It is also her first career multi-win season.
Park, who led the season in stroke average, second in prize money, and third in Grand Prize points prior to this tournament, jumped to the top of both categories with the $144,000 prize money and 60 more Grand Prize points.
With 326 Grand Prize Points, she surpassed Hong Jeong-min (318), who missed the tournament, by eight points, while her prize money of 634.56 million won ($508.87 million) was well ahead of Park Min-ji. Park missed the cut at the tournament after traveling to the U.S. Women’s Open.
Park was unflappable in the strong winds of Jeju, recording 16 birdies on all three days of the tournament. Even at the start of the final day, when the rain was falling heavily, she quickly opened up a gap on the second group with birdies at the second (par-4), fourth (par-5) and sixth (par-5) holes.
Park, who was chasing a no-bogey victory, made her first bogey of the tournament on the seventh (par-4).
With a 15-meter birdie putt left, she was delayed for about 30 minutes due to heavy rainwater on the green, and her attempted putt was saved by moving four to five meters to the right of her original position. Her return 3-meter par putt also missed.
The momentum could have been lost, but from the eighth hole (par-4) to the time she sealed the victory, she parred 11 consecutive holes to take the lead. Her steady play and detailed course management stood out. 스포츠토토