Park Min-ji wins season-ending SK Telecom Championship

Park Min-ji holds her trophy after winning the SK Shieldus SK Telecom Championship at Lavie Est Belle in Chuncheon, Gangwon on Sunday. [KLPGA]

Park Min-ji finished her 2022 KLPGA Tour with a bang on Sunday, winning the season-ending SK Shieldus SK Telecom Championship 2022.

Carding a total of nine-under-par, 207, Park outplayed Ahn Song-yi by two strokes to take her sixth title of the season and repeat her success in 2018 when she had topped the leaderboard.

Park racked up a total of six wins this season, starting with a win at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship in May, then going on to win the Celltrion Queens Masters and BC Card Hankyung Ladies Cup 2022 in June, the KB Financial Group STAR Championship in September, the 22nd Hite Jinro Championship in October and the last event of the season this week.

While Park’s six wins is three short of Shin Ji-yai's record of nine wins in a single season, Sunday’s SK Shieldus SK Telecom Championship trophy takes Park’s total tally to 16 titles and makes her the active golfer with the most total wins on the KLPGA Tour.

Before Sunday, Park was tied with Jang Ha-na with 15 wins. Shin, who now plays predominantly on the JLPGA Tour, and the late Ku Ok-hee still hold the record at 20 wins.

With her six wins, Park will top the money rankings for the second season in a row.

Last season, Park also won six titles, the most that season. Her six wins put her at the top of the points standings and also earned her the Player of the Year title.

No one has won more titles than Park this season, and this is the first time that one golfer has topped the win column for two consecutive years since Shin won the most titles for three years in a row from 2006 to 2008.

“Like any other event, I really wanted to win this one and came prepared,” said Park on Sunday.

For the last two years, Park has played 47 events, winning 12 titles. Mathematically, she has won one title in every four tournaments. Park is currently No. 18 in the Rolex World Women's Golf rankings. She is the top-ranked KLPGA golfer and the fifth-highest Korean golfer in the world, following No. 2 Ko Jin-young, No. 8 Chun In-gee, No. 9 Kim Hyo-joo and No. 14 Kim Sei-young.

“My next goal is to go on to a bigger stage,” said Park. “I want to build my body during the winter. I also want to improve my shots and techniques.”

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