KLPGA Update

Ji Yai Shin has been the headline on the KLPGA since she first joined the tour as a rookie last year. She turned it up a notch by winning two straight events coming into the third KB Star tour event of the season. She had a chance to become the first KLPGA player to win three events in a row since superstars Mi Hyun Kim and Se Ri Pak did it in the 90s (Se Ri did it in 1996, Kimmie in 1997). The defending champion at this tournament was Eun Hee Ji (pictured), who earlier in the season won two consecutive events, but came up just short of making it three in a row.

Hee Young Park and Na Yeon Choi took the week off to prepare for their appearance at the US Women's Open the following week. Shin was also going to appear there, but decided to play one more KLPGA event before then. The event ended on the Saturday before Open week, so she just had enough time to get to the Open by Monday!

In round one, defending champ Ji got right down to business, shooting a blistering 8 under par 64 to take the lead right out of the gate. She had nine birdies and a single bogey, which came thanks to a three putt. She is well aware that Shin gets out to slow starts, but powerful finishes, and wanted to put as much distance between herself and Shin as possible.

But Ji Yai decided to get out to a great start herself. In her first round she had eight birdies and two bogies for a 6 under par 66 that left her by herself in third place. The unfortunate golfer sandwiched between these two titans was Young Ran Jo, who shot a 65 in round one. Among the other top players, Sun Ju Ahn only managed a one under par 71, Hae Jung Kim a 68, and Hyun Hee 'Honey' Moon a 71.

The tournament took place on a par 72 setup, 6,248 yards long. Eun Hee Ji and Ji Yai Shin kept going mano a mano in round two. Ji wound up shooting a one under par 71 on Friday, but Shin, in tougher conditions, kept up her relentless assault with a 4 under par 68. Her round consisted of 4 birdies and no bogies. Shin took a one shot lead over Ji, 10 under par to 9 under, and they were now the top two on the leaderboard.

This set up a classic confrontation on the final day. Shin was being pushed by the player who has been her biggest challenger in 2007, a player who not too long ago was in the same position she is in now: having a chance to win 3 tournaments in a row, with a lead going into the final round of that third tournament. If Shin did manage to capture the crown, she would have earned it, and that's what anyone wants to see. Could Shin join the historic short list of golfers that includes two Korean golf legends, Se Ri Pak and Mi Hyun Kim? Or would Ji, whose nickname in Korea is "Mickey Mouse", win her third event of 2007 and make this a two horse race for the glory this season? Or would someone else step up to the plate and shock them both?

On Saturday, the top two golfers on the KLPGA tour this season played in the final group together. At stake was history, but Eun Hee Ji was not about to let Shin have this win without a fight. Shin went into the final round sporting a one shot lead, but both ladies played marvelously on the front nine, each carding 3 under par 33s. By the time they hit the turn, it was becoming clear that one or the other of them was going to be the winner.

They matched birdies on the par 5 12th hole, and Shin still maintained her one shot lead. The holes were running down, and Ji needed to do something. She was playing extremely well, but was still not able to make any ground up on Shin. Finally, on the final par 5 (the 15th hole), Ji was only able to make par while Shin again made birdie to move to a two shot lead. They finished the day with birdies on 18, but it was too little, too late for Ji. Ji Yai Shin had shot a sizzling 6 under par 66, the best round of the day, without a single mistake on her card, to claim a record tying 16 under par total score. Despite the fact Ji had shot the third best score of the day on Sunday, and put together a score that would have won almost every other tournament this year, she had to settle for second place.

And so Ji Yai Shin, with her third straight win and fourth of the season, has joined the immortals. What a way to prepare for the US Women's Open!