By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
There are only two tournaments left on the Korea LPGA tour but the money list lead is still up for grabs.
Two talented young golfers, Seo Hee-kyung and Ryu So-yeon, have risen to the top of the money list and the results of the Korean Ladies Masters at the Cypress Golf & Resort on Jeju Island this weekend could very well determine who finishes the season on top.
Top 45 golfers on Ladies European Tour (LET), 60 domestic players and a few Korean players from the LPGA tour including Kim Young, Kim Joo-mi will also compete for their share of the $300,000 prize money at the tournament, which is held jointly by KLPGA and LET.
Seo currently leads the KLPGA money list with 586,239,286 won in winnings and Ryu trails her by about 27,000 won. Both have four wins this season.
Seo won two straight events, the MBC Tour 2nd LOTTE Mart Ladies Open and the Taeyoung Cup Korea Women's Open, in April and May. The money leader stumbled for a while but she eventually rebounded, winning two major competitions, the Hite Cup Championships and KB Star Tour Grand Final in October.
Ryu joined the winners list in May at the Doosan Match Play Championship and generated three straight victories from June to August.
Ryu was ranked first on the money list until August, but hasn't won since Aug. 16, which has allowed Seo to overtake her.
Ryu has had problems with her putting but still managed to post top 5 finishes at the two majors that Seo won.
If Seo gets the $60,000 winner's prize this weekend, she will clinch her position as the tour's richest player this year, regardless of the result of the final event.
However, with a strong field from the LET expected, Seo will face long odds to win.
Arianne Skarpnord, Gwladys Nocera and Iben Tinning of the LET and LPGA players Minea Blomqvist and Anna Rawson will all be teeing off Friday at the three-day event.
Solheim Cup player Becky Brewerton of the LET is a tournament favorite and she is, herself, chasing her tour's money list lead, currently sitting third.
"I do prefer the faster greens so I think that will be more suited to me this week and I hope to do well," said Brewerton. "It's one of those situations where I have to do well because otherwise I've got no chance of winning the money list when we get to Dubai. I really need a win this week otherwise it might be over and done with."