Buddy Queen Yoon Ina, First Appearance in ‘Buddy Competition Hall’ Variant Stableford
Buddy Queen Yoon Ina, First Appearance in ‘Buddy Competition Hall’ Variant Stableford
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The 'birdie masters' who are considered the best in the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour will face off in the 'Birdie Competition'.
The KLPGA Tour Dongbu Construction-Korea Land Trust Championship (total prize money of 1 billion won), held for four days starting on the 10th at the Iksan Country Club (par 72) in Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do, is the only modified Stableford tournament in the KLPGA Tour.
The modified Stableford format ranks players by score rather than number of strokes.
An albatross is worth 8 points, an eagle is worth 5 points, a birdie is worth 2 points, a bogey is worth -1 point, and a double bogey or worse is worth -3 points.
Although they are both at 2 under par in terms of strokes, a player who has 5 birdies and 3 bogeys (7 points) earns a higher score than a player who has 2 birdies and no bogeys (4 points).
In stroke competitions, players who play consistently and avoid bogeys and double bogeys have an advantage, but in the modified Stableford format, players who make many birdies even when losing strokes have an advantage.
This is why this year's KLPGA Tour 'Birdie Queen' Yoon Ina is considered the top candidate to win.
Yoon is currently averaging 4.138 birdies per round.
Yoon Ina also ranks first with a birdie rate of 22.99%.
In addition, Yoon Ina is in second place with 3 eagle catches so far, following Yoo Hyeon-jo who has 4.
Yoon Ina, who has risen to first place in the prize money rankings by beating three players with three wins with one win, will also have a foothold in the competition to become the most-winner if she wins the trophy in this tournament.
However, this is the first time that Yoon is participating in the Dongbu Construction/Korea Land Trust Championship, which is played using the modified Stableford format.
He was banned from playing in June 2022, when he was a rookie, for a report of a foul play, so he was unable to play in 2022 and last year.
Park Hyun-kyung, who ranked second in birdie average with an average of 3.945 birdies per round, is considered a strong candidate to win along with Yoon E-na.
Park Hyun-kyung, who is from Iksan, knows Iksan Country Club like the back of her hand. Park Hyun-kyung's father, Park Se-su, who serves as Park Hyun-kyung's caddy, has been the head pro at Iksan Country Club for a long time.
Moreover, Korea Land Trust, which hosts the competition, is Park Hyeon-gyeong's main sponsor.
Experts analyze that Park Hyun-kyung has a very high chance of winning if she can relieve the pressure of the fact that the tournament is being held on her home course and hosted by a sponsor.
Park Hyun-kyung's first goal is to reach the 4th win of the season and solidify her position as the top scorer.
"This tournament is always special. Iksan Country Club is like my hometown, so I want to do better than anyone else," said Park Hyun-kyung, expressing her special feelings. "The greens are small, so accurate iron shots and putting are important. It's important to make a lot of birdies, so I plan to read the greens well and play boldly," introducing her strategy worthy of an Iksan Country Club expert.
'Assault Captain' Hwang Yu-min, who is ranked 3rd in average birdies, defending champion Bang Shin-sil, who is ranked 4th in average birdies, and Park Ji-young, who is ranked 5th in average birdies, are all strong attacking golfers who cannot be excluded from the championship candidates.
Hwang Yu-min entered the competition with the goal of her second win of the season, while Bang Shin-sil entered the competition with the goal of defending her first title and winning her first title of the season.
Bang Shin-sil, who won the birdie hunting competition with Hwang Yu-min last year, said, "It was physically difficult in the summer because of the heat, but as the weather got cooler, both my stamina and my sense of shooting improved," and "In particular, since last week, my sense of shooting has been gradually improving, so in this tournament, I plan to boldly attempt aggressive shots by utilizing my strengths," foreshadowing attacking golf.
'Autumn Queen' Kim Su-ji, who won the Hite Jinro Championship, a major tournament, this season, is also aiming for a second consecutive win with her birdie-hunting ability, which ranks 6th in average birdies.
Park Ji-young and Kim Su-ji are sponsored by Korea Land Trust and 커뮤니티 Dongbu Construction respectively, and will compete for the sponsors' championship.
"I'm always excited and looking forward to sponsorship tournaments," said Kim Su-ji. "I'll play aggressively, trying to get on the green as much as possible," and "I plan to play cautiously but boldly, because if I get a par, I can almost always expect a birdie chance."
The competition for prize money king and grand prize 1st place between the three members of the 1 Billion Club, including Yoon Ina, Park Hyun-kyung, and Park Ji-young, who have earned over 1 billion won in season prize money, and Hwang Yu-min and Lee Ye-won, who are on the verge of breaking the 1 billion won mark, will continue in this tournament.
The competition to become the first player to win the fourth season among Park Hyun-kyung, Park Ji-young, Lee Ye-won, and Bae So-hyun is also ongoing.