Lee Da-yeon wins E1 Charity Open title

By Kim Jeong-kyu

Lee Da-yeon, 20, strolled up the 18th fairway triumphantly, with a huge crowd treading behind her.

On the verge of winning the 6th E1 Charity Open title, she was walking on air.

Hitting par on the final hole, Lee closed the day with a five under 67 to win the trophy with an overall score of 14-under 202. She claimed her second career KLPGA Tour victory at the 6,440-yard South Springs Country Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Hitting five under par, she well deserved the crown.

Playing in the final group, Kim A-lim and Na Da-ye did not have enough firepower, handing the title to Lee on a silver platter.

Typically, there are so many ups and downs in golf. But Lee remained in control of her emotions throughout the day. She did not freak out even when she made a blunder on the 15th.

She could not stay immune from the pressure to win the trophy.

However, when she looked like she succumbed to pressure, she bounced back on the spot, giving no chance for her rivals to catch her.

At the start of the final round, spectators had a sense of deja vu. Lee Da-yeon was holding a one stroke lead over Na Da-ye and Kim A-lim, with a flock of familiar names trailing closely one or two shots back.

During the early part of the final round, Lee and Na kept pace. Kim A-lim uncharacteristically bogeyed the third and fourth hole in a row. The title match looked like a duel between Lee and Na. The two put up a toe-to-toe battle, exchanging blows.

Na pulled even with Lee on the second hole with her first birdie of the day. Lee immediately responded to Na's blow with a birdie on the third hole. However, Na did not flinch or back off. Na birdied the same hole, keeping Lee from pulling away from her.

On the fourth hole, however, Lee made another birdie in succession to become the outright leader. Lee pulled farther away from Na when the latter bogeyed the 8th hole.

As Lee reached the turn, she was holding a four shot lead over Na at 8-under and two shots ahead of Oh Ji-hyun. At that stage, Oh was heading for the 18th tee, having no chance of catching Lee unless Lee coughed up her two-shot lead.

Na bogeyed the 8th and 9th in a low, dampening the competition afterwards. Na birdied the par-4 10th but bogeyed the 12th to find her five shots adrift.

Lee looked like she cruised to victory when she birdied the 13th.

But on the 15th, Lee incurred a bogey. She hit her approach short of the green, compounding the mistake with a touch too hard chip shot that rolled past the hole. Within a makeable range, she missed the par putt, dropping down into a two-shot lead over Oh Ji-hyun watching the match in the clubhouse.

Lee's fans felt a certain anxiety about her faltering to continue to commit mistakes on the following holes. More important, Lee was not at a safe distance from her close rival Oh.

However, their fears proved groundless. Lee bounced back on the spot, making a precious birdie on the 16th. Then, she got through the 17th and 18th without incident, claiming the title with ease. She closed the day three strokes ahead of two runners-up at 11-under.

Lee has a flat, easy-to-repeat swing that is also compact and powerful. She takes a wide stance to promote balance and solid ball-striking on the sweet spot. She is a great all-round player. She knows how to hit a powerful tee shot and make clutch putts. She ranks fifth in official driving distance, which averages 260 yards. Typically, long hitters rarely perform the short game accurately with finesse. But this does not hold true with Lee.

Lee, standing 157 centimeters tall, got her nickname “Peanut” as she resembles Kim Mi-hyun, who is also short but hit long tee shots. Lee was a backup player for the national golf team in 2012 and 2013, and played for Korea in the first half of the 2014.

Kim A-lim, 22, finished the day with a 3-under 69 to share second place with Oh Ji-hyun. Kim bounced back to collect five birdies against one bogey on the back nine. Oh, 22, despite a bogey on the opening hole, hit an amazing 9-under 63 including an eagle on the 13th and eight birdies. Na Da-ye, 30, hit a one-under 71, dropping down into a tie for fourth.