Hwang Yoo-min (20), who withdrew from the next tournament due to illness shortly after winning her debut last month, is back in good health. Kim Min-byul and Bang Shin-sil (both 19) have also recharged their batteries and are vying for the Rookie of the Year award.메이저사이트
With the start of the second half of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour after a two-week break, the ‘Rookie Big Three’ race is set to heat up. The 10th Jeju Samdasu Masters (total prize money of 1 billion won), which begins on Sept. 3 at Blackstone Jeju (par 72-6626) in Jeju Island, is the first stop for the rookies in the second half of the year.
The battle for the top spot between Hwang Yoo-min, Kim Min-byul and Bang Shin-sil has been one of the biggest stories of the first half of this year’s KLPGA Tour. The arrival of Bang Shin-sil on the tour sparked fan interest, followed by Kim Min-byul and Hwang Yoo-min in the spotlight. Kim Min-byul led the way with a runner-up finish at the Korean Women’s Open, but Hwang Yoo-min took the top spot in the rookie rankings with a victory at the end of the first half of the year.
Currently, Hwang Yoo-min (1445 points), Kim Min-byul (1412 points), and Bang Shin-sil (1050 points) are in first and second place in the Rookie of the Year standings, and the gap between them is so close that it could be overturned at any time in a single tournament. However, Kim (5th) is ahead of Bang (13th) and Hwang (19th) in the Grand Prize category, and Kim (7th) leads Bang (8th) and Hwang (15th) in the prize money standings.
Bang Shin-sil, who has become known as the “monster long hitter” due to her frequent long shots of over 300 yards, leads the field this year with an average driver distance of 267 yards. However, Hwang Yoo-min is also in third place in this category with a 258-yard drive, and Kim Min-byul is in 12th place with a 252-yard drive. Ultimately, the battle between the big three will come down to a combination of tournament day conditioning, course management, and a combination of long and short game.
Each of the big three will start with a key player in the first round of the three-day event. Hwang Yoo-min will tee off at 11:55 with veterans Lee Jung-min and Ahn Sun-joo, while Bang Shin-shil will tee off at 12:05 with this year’s major champions Hong Ji-won and Lee Da-yeon. Kim Min-byul will tee off at 12:15 with Lee So-mi and Hong Jung-min.
Meanwhile, world No. 2 Jin Young Ko, playing as an invitee in Korea ahead of next week’s final major of the season, the AIG Women’s Open, will tee off at 12:25 in a group with defending champion Ji Han-sol and money leader Park Ji-young.