KLPGA Update

Meritz Solmoro Classic
Two KLPGA events were contested before the Kolon-Hana Bank Championship, and both had wild finishes and unexpected results. Let's talk about all the action!

First up was the Meritz Solmoro Classic. This event took place October 13 - 15th at the Solmoro Golf Club. This week's special LPGA guests were Birdie Kim, Joo Mi Kim, Gloria Park and Ji Yeon "Jinnie" Lee.

After round one, the leader, at -3, was relatively unknown KLPGA player So Hee Kim (pictured). She had five birdies and a double bogey. In solo second was another journeyman, Yoo Mi Yoon, who shot a 2 under par round. Lurking ominously in a tie for third was Ji-Yai Shin, who has been dominating the KLPGA all season and was looking for her third win of the year.

Time has been running out if someone wants to beat Shin for Player of the Year. Hee Young Park, who was second on the money list coming into this event, did not help her cause, shooting an abysmal 5 over par 76 on this par 71 course. Bo Bae Song, the Player of the Year the previous two years, did a little better, carding a one over par 72, as did Na Yeon Choi. Defending Champion Woo Ri Choi carded a 77.

The LPGA golfers in the field by and large didn't do too well on this day. Joo Mi Kim shot a 4 over par 75, while Birdie Kim and Gloria Park did even worse. Surprisingly, only Jinnie Lee produced a decent score; her 71 left her in a tie for 8th after the round was complete.

But though Joo Mi stunk up the course in round one, she bounced back in a big way in round two. She has had a habit of playing mediocre golf, then suddenly shooting a fantastic round, and she did it again this day. In tough conditions which saw most of the players on the course struggling to over par rounds (I'll talk about them in a moment), Joo Mi shot a blistering 5 under par 66 to leap all the way to a tie for second place. How good was her round? The second best round of the day was 69, three shots worse than the round Joo Mi produced. Joo Mi showed everyone a little of that form that led her to be KLPGA Player of the Year back in 2003. Her round consisted of four birdies, an eagle, and a single bogey.

But she still wasn't the leader. That person was So Hee Kim, who shot an even par 71 to maintain her 3 under par total and a two shot lead. Only four players were under par by the time Saturday's play was complete! Several stars struggled on this day. Ji-Yai Shin shot a 3 over par 74. If even she's having trouble, you know it's tough out there. Na Yeon Choi shot 75, Bo Bae shot a 74, Hee Young also shot a 74. They all had some work to do if they wanted to claim this prize.

Sunday's play proved to be one of the most unpredictable final rounds on the KLPGA tour this year.

Joo Mi Kim played wonderfully in round 2 and positioned herself nicely to possibly win. On the front nine on Sunday, though, she had one birdie and one bogey, and was losing ground to several other players. She then bogied the tenth hole to fall to even par, made a bunch more pars, then suffered a double bogey on 16. She wound up shooting a 3 over par 74, which knocked her all the way down to 13th. Better luck next time.

Two other players made a very strong run at leader So Hee Kim. To no one's surprise, one of those players was Ji-Yai Shin. She made three birdies on the front nine to move to 1 under. Kim made two bogies and two birdies and remained at 3 under.

But one of the LPGA players who had quietly been lurking all week made a huge charge on this final day. Ji Yeon 'Jinnie' Lee (pictured), her LPGA season over, was playing this week in her home country. Through two rounds, she was at one under par. She made three birdies and a bogey early in her round, then followed that up with an eagle on the ninth hole. Suddenly she was at 5 under, and all by herself in the lead.

The battle came down to Kim, Shin and Lee on the back nine. Kim made two more birdies and two more bogies, and though she finished in the final group, she was not able to make birdies on any of the last four holes. So she posted a three under total, which was not good enough to win this week.

Shin, meanwhile, kept reeling off the birdies. She made birdies on 12, 13 and 15 to move to 4 under par. Jinnie made a bogey and a birdie in that stretch to remain at 5 under. But then, with the tournament on the line, Shin uncharacteristically bogied 16, and Jinnie birdied 17. Thus, Ji Yeon won her first ever professional tournament, while Shin had to settle for a tie for second again with So Hee Kim at 3 under. A great tournament for Shin, who shot the best round of the day on Sunday (a 66), but congratulations to Jinnie Lee, who matched her with her own 66! Hopefully this will give her confidence going into LPGA Q-School next month, where she will have to fight to regain her tour card.