Rising star of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour, Bang Shin-sil, won her first title in just her third attempt.
On the final day of the KLPGA Tour’s 11th E1 Charity Open ($900 million in prize money) at Seongmunan Country Club (par-72, 6,520 yards) in Wonju, Gangwon Province, South Korea, Bang made just two birdies in the third round.
With a final round total of 9-under-par 207, Bang celebrated her first career tour victory with a wire-to-wire win in which she led from the first round to the last.
She finished two strokes clear of the runner-up and earned $162,000 for her victory.
Bang also surpassed the $200 million mark in career earnings ($278.89 million) in just five regular tour events, setting a new record for the fewest tournaments in the category.
The previous record was held by top players such as Choi Hye-jin, Cho A-yeon, and Park Min-ji, who surpassed the $200 million mark after six tournaments.
In the 10 KLPGA Tour events held this year, five players earned their first regular tour victories – Lee Ye-won, Lee Ju-mi, Choi Eun-woo, Park Bo-gyeom, and Bang Shin-sil.
Bang also played in the Champions Group, following a fourth-place finish at the KLPGA Championship in April and a third-place finish at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship earlier this month.
Playing in her third Champion’s Group event in as many months, Bang played a bogey-free round to take home the trophy, unlike her previous two events where she came back from the brink of defeat.
Bang is the first rookie to win this year, and with this victory, she has secured a full tour card for the rest of the year and into the 2025 season.
However, the field for next week’s Lotte Open is already set and Bang will be able to take advantage of her full seeding starting at the Celltrion Queens Masters on June 9.
It is also the 10th time in her 토토사이트 career that Bang has gone wire-to-wire to win her first title, and the first time in about 10 months since Yoon won the EverCollagen Queens Crown last July.
With a one-stroke lead in the match, which was played in rain throughout the day, Bangsinsil sealed the deal on the 16th hole (par-5).
He hit his third shot from around the green to within a meter of the hole for birdie.
Kim Hee-ji, who was trailing by one shot, made a costly mistake by missing a par putt from a similar distance, and the gap quickly grew to three strokes.
Kim Min-sun, who was also one stroke behind Bang, made a similar mistake on the 17th hole (par-4), missing a par putt from just over a meter away and falling out of contention.
Of the four players tied for second place, Kim Hee-ji and Kim Min-sun, the other two, Seo Yeon-jung and Yoo Seo-yeon, had already finished at 7-under.
With a two-stroke lead, Bang finished the final two holes with pars to complete her long-awaited victory.
The 6-foot-4, 173-pounder averaged 264.6 yards this season, making him one of the best “long hitters” on the tour. However, due to her lack of tournaments, she is not ranked on the driving distance list.
She finished 40th in last year’s KLPGA Tour Seeding, so she was playing on two tours this year, limiting her number of regular tour appearances, but with this win, she quickly earned a full seed on the regular tour.
She battled a cold and a sore right wrist during the tournament, both of which are now almost fully resolved, but she also overcame the challenges of dealing with hyperthyroidism in 2019.
With the victory, Bang quickly jumped to sixth in the money list and third in the Rookie of the Year standings.