Song Bo-bae swings her way to an LPGA title

Another female Korean golfer won an LPGA Tour event yesterday, bringing the total to 11 on the season.

This time around it was Song Bo-bae, who won her first LPGA Tour event at the Mizuno Classic at Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club in Shima, Japan.

With the win, the 23-year-old - who competed in the LPGA of Japan Tour, also known as the JLPGA - earned $210,000 and the right to compete in the tour next season.

Song shot a 68, which was four-under-par, on the final day of the competition to wrap up the event with a 15-under-par score of 201. She was able to edge out Lorena Ochoa, Park Hee-young and Brittany Lang with a comfortable three-stroke win.

In taking her first LPGA Tour event, Song became the latest in a long and impressive list of female golfers from Korea to win a title this season. The total ties the all-time high reached in 2006.

Park, who hit a 12-under-par 204, tied for second with American golfer Lang and Ochoa of Mexico. Last year’s winner, Shin Ji-yai, who won the top rookie honor and is in contention for the Golfer of the Year award, finished the event tied for fifth place with a 69 on the final day of competition.

Song first made a name for herself in the domestic golf scene by winning the Korean Women’s Open as a 17-year-old high school student. She went on to join the KLPGA Tour the following year, winning two tour events and leading the field in earnings. As a result, Song won the Golfer of the Year honor in her rookie season. She then went on to win the top golfer honor again the following year. She made the jump to the JLPGA Tour in 2007 and won her first JLPGA Tour event at the Daikin Orchid in 2008. She finished tied for seventh overall at the Mizuno Classic last season. Her best finish at an LPGA major was at the 2005 Nabisco Championship, when she finished tied for 55th. Song has been playing well of late, as she won a major at the Japan Women’s Open Golf Championship in Chiba in October.

The annual Mizuno Classic is co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and LPGA of Japan Tour and is the last full-field event on the LPGA Tour.

By Jason Kim [jason@joongang.co.kr]