Lee Joo-mi clinches spectacular victory at 2nd MEDIHEAL-Hankook Ilbo Championship
Lee Joo-mi holds the champion's trophy after winning the MEDIHEAL-Hankook Ilbo Championship at the Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
By Kim Jeong-kyoo
Veteran Lee Joo-mi claimed a spectacular victory at the second MEDIHEAL-Hankook Ilbo Championship, Sunday.
In the big KLPGA event, co-organized by MEDIHEAL and the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, the 28-year-old notched the championship title after a chaotic melee from Thursday to Sunday.
She played the front nine in one-under 35, rattling off three birdies on the back nine on her way to victory. After going through a frenetic free-for-all, she finally carved her name in history as the second winner of the annual event. It was, for sure, a tall order to stand atop the leaderboard, having come through all the hustle and bustle of the competition.
The champion showed flashes of greatness, outshining the field, mixing five birdies with a lone bogey for a great final round of 4-under 68. She had rounds of 67-68-73-68 for an aggregate score of 12-under 276 at the scenic 6,628-yard par-72 Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.
The triumph was her first career KLPGA Tour title. The heroine of the thrilling four-act drama earned a winner's check for 180 million won ($137,700).
Lee Joo-mi celebrates after reeling in a birdie at the final hole and winning the MEDIHEAL-Hankook Ilbo Championship at the Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
Entering the final round, the champion was chasing the overnight leader just two strokes shy of her. She rattled off her first birdie on the fourth hole to join the group at nine-under, two shots shy of the leader. Then, she bogeyed the sixth hole before birdying the eighth hole.
Playing the front nine in one-under 35, she made the turn with two birdies against a bogey. Then, she reeled in her third birdie of the day on the 13th hole to share second place with Kim Min-byeol and Jun Ye-sung at 10-under.
After a train of three pars, she reeled in an invaluable birdie on the 17th hole to grab a sole lead by a single stroke with only the last hole remaining to play. Then, all dramatically enough, she stuck a spectacular approach to mere inches on the last hole, stunning everybody. The shot drove spectators to have their mouths ajar. Capping the penultimate hole with a tap-in birdie, she ended the day with a four-under 68, finding her the sole clubhouse leader with a two-shot advantage. At that moment, no one doubted that she would soon become the winner of the tournament.
Lee Joo-mi takes a tee shot from the first hole of the fourth round of the MEDIHEAL-Hankook Ilbo Championship at the Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
Meanwhile, long-time leader Park Hyun-kyung, 23, got off to a pleasing start with a good par on the first hole. The par boded well because she bogeyed the hole in the preceding three rounds. Sure enough, she hit her approach almost in the cup for an eagle on the fourth hole. After tapping the ball into the hole for a birdie with a cheerful smile, she got to 10-under for sole second place, a single stroke adrift of the leader.
She pulled off another great approach on the par-5 fifth hole to about 2 yards, setting up a putt for a successive birdie. She rolled it in with ease to share the lead with Park Min-ji playing in the same group. She looked to be on fire with the tap-in birdie on the previous hole. Getting up and down for par on the sixth hole. She marched on.
Playing the front nine in two-under 34, she led the field by one stroke over Park Min-ji, with Park Ji-young rarely visible. However, she started to struggle after making the turn. She played the back nine in one-over 37 with two birdies against three bogeys. Fortunately, however, she capped the last hole with a good birdie to be the sole runner-up of the competition.
Kim Su-ji, Lee Ga-young, Jun Ye-sung, Kim Min-byeol and Park Min-ji ended the day with nine-under in a tie for third place.
Defending champion and overnight leader Park Ji-young led the field, entering the final round. But she got off to a topsy-turvy start with a three-putt bogey on the opening hole. She looked to have difficulty overcoming the final-round pressure. She endured her second bogey of the day on the third hole, dropping to eight under to tie for fourth place. After two bogeys, she looked to fade away. Despite her chip-in birdie on the 16h hole, she self-destructed with four bogeys, finishing the day tied for eighth place with Jeong Yun-ji at seven under. For the defending champion, it was a long, tedious Sunday.
The author (kimjstar@hanmail.net) lives in a rural village near Seoul, studying and teaching golf.