Hong Jung-min wins Doosan Match Play Championship

Golf

Published: 22 May. 2022, 17:43 Updated: 22 May. 2022, 18:38

Hong Jung-min wins Doosan Match Play Championship

Hong Jung-min tees off on the first hole of the Doosan Match Play Championship semifinal at Ladena Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon on Sunday. [KLPGA]

Lee Ye-won tees off on the first hole of the Doosan Match Play Championship semifinal at Ladena Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon on Sunday. [KLPGA]

Hong Jung-min beat Lee Ye-won on the final hole to pick up her first ever KLPGA title at the Doosan Match Play Championship at Ladena Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon on Sunday.

Both golfers are recent additions to the Tour. Hong debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2021, while Lee Ye-won is a rookie this year at only her ninth KLPGA event. The two also have history, having played on the national team together for two years.

Lee started out with a birdie on the first hole while Hong parred, taking a one hole lead from the start. Lee extended that lead to three by the fourth hole. However, Hong leveled the score, adding three points over the next three holes. Hong then bogeyed the ninth hole, ending the first nine with Lee up one.

Lee stayed ahead for the next two holes, with Hong leveling the score on the par-5 12th and Lee taking back the lead on the next hole, carding a par on the par-3 13th while Hong bogeyed the hole. The two parred the next three holes but, on the second-to-last hole, Hong pulled off a birdie while Lee parred to level the score.

It came down to the last hole to decide the winner. Hong's last iron shot was impeccable, landing right next to the hole to set up an easy birdie putt, beating Lee to win her very first trophy.

The Doosan Match Play Championship is the only match-play event on the KLPGA Tour. Unlike the more common stroke play, where all golfers compete against each other in an attempt to achieve the fewest strokes at the end of all four rounds, in match play, golfers compete to win each hole.

Regardless of the difference in number of strokes, a player earns one point for a win. If the score is five holes to four, the winning golfer is up by one.

Match-play events, unlike stroke play events, acknowledge not only the champion and runner-up but also the third and fourth place finishers. Lim Hee-jeong beat Ahn Song-yi to take third place.

Lim and Ahn were tied over the first three holes, until Ahn went one up on the par-4 fourth to take a one-hole lead. Lim leveled the score right away by birdying the next par-5 sixth.

Lim added another point in the par-4 ninth to take a one hole lead but Ahn leveled the score by birdying the par-4 10th. Lim was able to win the par-3 16th to take back her one-hole lead and in the end that was the point that mattered. With both golfers bogeying the second-to-last hole and parring the last hole, Lim outplayed Ahn by one hole to take third place.

A total of 64 golfers teed off in the first round of the Doosan Match Play as 16 groups of four on Wednesday, playing the second round on Thursday and the third round on Friday.

On Saturday, the 16 winners of each group advanced to the next round, where they played in eight groups of two. Later the same day, the eight winners played as four groups of two.

The four winners of each group played as two groups of two to determine the two golfers advancing to the finals. Lee Ye-won beat Ahn to reach the finals while Hong beat Lim Hee-jeong.

Lee Yae-won beat Han Jin-seon, Lee Chae-eun and Ahn to reach the finals. Lee Ye-won beat Han three-and-two, meaning Lee Ye-won won three more holes than Han and achieved victory on the 16th hole, not having to play the last two holes because she already had an insurmountable lead. Lee Ye-won then beat Lee Chae-eun five-and-four, then beat Ahn two-and-one to reach the finals.

Hong may have had a harder fight up to the finals as she had to face defending champion Park Min-ji, 2021 Rookie of the Year Song Ga-eun and KLPGA star Lim.

Hong faced Park in the round of 16 on Thursday. Hong and Park were level over 18 holes, with Hong finally edging out Park on the first extra hole. In the round of eight, Hong beat Song by one hole. But in the semifinal, Hong had to play 20 holes against Lim. Hong and Lim were tied after 18 holes, then also tied on the first extra hole. Hong birdied the 20th hole to advance to the finals.

"Because I met so many competitive players on the way to the final at this match-play event, I didn't even imagine that I could win," said Hong on Sunday.

"But I did my best and I think that's what got me here."

The KLPGA Tour will continue with the 10th E1 Charity Open on Friday. The tournament will be played as a three-day, 54 hole stroke play event.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]