Sung Yoo-jin (23) and Hong Jeong-min (21) moved into a tie for eighth place after the third round of the second stage of the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour Qualifying Tests.
Sung shot 2-under-par in the third round at Venice Plantation Golf & Country Club (Bobcat Course: Par 72, 6543 yards; Panther Course: Par 72, 6363 yards) in Venice, Florida (USA) on Monday (Sept. 19) and is tied for eighth place (7-under-par 209) with Hong Jung-min, who shaved five strokes off her score on the day.
Sung, who has competed in 20 events on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour this season, picked up her second win of the season with her victory at the Doosan Match Play and is 13th on the money list ($494.1 million). She has made the cut in every event she has competed in and finished tied for third at the Hite Jinro Championship on July 7.
If she finishes in the top 40 or better at the event, which began on Nov. 17, she will advance to the Q-Series Finals from Nov. 30-Dec. 5.
Sung, who won the Lotte Open on the KLPGA last year and played as an invitee at the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship in April this year, finished second in a playoff. The LPGA Tour was definitely the best stage in the world. Having set her sights on the LPGA Tour, Sung skipped the KLPGA Tour’s Sangsangin Korea Economic TV Open at Lakewood in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do, this week in favor of traveling to the United States.
Hong, 21, is 18th on the money list ($418.81 million) with 19 made cuts and two second-place finishes in 23 KLPGA Tour events this year. After finishing tied for 27th at the Daebo House Open on Jan. 1, she opted to travel to the United States and is competing in the second stage of the Q-School.
World No. 1 amateur Ingrid Lindvald (SWE) shot a 2-under-par 72 to take a one-stroke lead (13-under-par 203). Making her second start on the LPGA Tour, 39-year-old Korean-American Christina Kim (née Chorong Kim) is seven shots back in second place (12-under par). Alexandra Ostariuk (GER) is three shots back in third (11-under) and China’s Yu Ji is fourth (9-under).
In the 188-player field, South Korea’s Shin is tied for 41st (1-under par), Park Jung-i is tied for 53rd (1-over par), Baek Ji-eun is tied for 67th (2-over par), former LPGA Tour player Park Geum-kang is tied for 88th (4-over par) and Hong Ye-eun is tied for 102nd (5-over par).
In Korea, the LPGA and KLPGA tournaments were held simultaneously. What would have happened if they had competed in the BMW Ladies Championship at Seowon Hills in Paju, Gyeonggi-do? The two players at the top of the Korean money list would surely have challenged for a direct ticket to the LPGA Tour.
However, the KLPGA declared the tournament unsanctioned for the second year in a row, banning its players from participating and threatening to fine them hundreds of millions of won if they did. As a result, the only option for potential Korean players hoping to make the LPGA Tour was to attend a qualifying school.
The LPGA Tour began hosting tournaments in Korea in 2001 with the Nine-Bridge Classic on Jeju Island. Since then, 13 Korean players have won the event, including five KLPGA Tour players, earning a direct ticket to the LPGA Tour. It was Ahn Si Hyun in 2003, followed by Lee Ji-young in 2005, Hong Jin-ju in 2006, Baek Jeong-hyun in 2014 and Ko Jin-young in 2017.굿모닝토토 주소
Currently ranked No. 3 in the world and the longest reigning world No. 1, Ko’s path to the LPGA Tour began with a win at the KEB Hana Bank Championship, the only LPGA event in Korea. But that ladder is now gone.
Last week’s LPGA event in Shanghai featured many of the top players on China’s local tour. The Toto Japan Classic in Japan in November will also feature a number of players from the Japan Tour. The winner gets two years on the LPGA Tour. However, there are no KLPGA players in this year’s BMW Ladies.
The top KLPGA players are looking to qualify in the United States. We congratulate the players who chose to follow their dreams and play on the LPGA Tour instead of competing in the KLPGA in October, the peak golf season. The rewards will be even more rewarding after all the hard work and challenges.
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