Hyun Kyung Park slipped past Seon Woo Bae in the final round of the KLPGA Championship on Sunday to win the first event on a major women’s pro golf tour in months.
The KLPGA Tour event – which also happened to be a KLPGA major – went off without spectators this week at Lakewood Country Club in Yangyu, which is roughly 15 miles north of Seoul. It was the first KLPGA event played in South Korea in 2020.
The KLPGA started its season in December but had not held an event in 2020. The LPGA has been on pause since February 16, when Inbee Park won the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.
Hyun Kyung Park won at 17 under for 72 holes. She and the rest of the field trailed Bae for much of the week. Bae had pulled away with opening rounds of 67-65, but came back to the field on Saturday with an even-par 72. That dropped her to a tie for second with Park. Both trailed Hee Jeong Lim entering the final round after Lim’s third-round 64.
Park played the first seven holes in 3 under in the final round, but dropped a shot with a bogey at No. 9, her only one of the day. Three consecutive birdies from Nos. 11-13 helped seal it. Her closing 67 was one better than Bae’s 68.
The victory represents Park’s first KLPGA title in 29 career starts on the tour. Park won the equivalent of $178,400 in prize money, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Park is ranked No. 92 in the Rolex Women’s Rankings (which have been frozen in place since March 31). Three top-10 players in that ranking also teed it up at Lakewood this week.
Reigning U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 finished T-15, eight shots off the pace. Sei Young Kim, No. 6 in the Rolex Rankings, finished T-46 and No. 3-ranked Sung Hyun Park missed the 36-hole cut. This was the first time Park, a former No. 1, has teed it up in 2020.