Lee Da-yeon looks to defend CreaS title at KLPGA's first major

Lee Da-yeon hits a shot during the CreaS F&C KLPGA Championship at the Lakewood Country Club in Yangju, Gyeonggi on April 29, 2023. [YONHAP]

The CreaS F&C KLPGA Championship, the first major of the 2024 KLPGA season, is teeing off Thursday at the Lakewood Country Club in Yangju, Gyeonggi with defending champion Lee Da-yeon joining the 132-strong field.

Last year was the first time Lee won the CreaS Championship. Winning the major again would be her first time successfully defending a KLPGA title.

“I am honored and thankful for the fact that I am a defending champion at the CreaS Championship that has become a historic tournament with so many winning moments from our fellow golfers,” Lee said in a press release on Tuesday. “I am not 100 percent fit as I have not fully recovered from a back injury in the beginning of the season, but as the Lakewood Country Club is where I like and get good results, I will try to compete as I pay attention to the course.”

Park Hyun-kyung, the most recent golfer to have successfully defended her title at the tournament after winning the CreaS in 2021 and 2022, is also joining the field.

One more win at the tournament would make Park the third golfer to win the title three times alongside Ku Ok-hee and Kim Sun-mi. Ku won the title three times in a row from 1980 to 1982, while Kim won it in 1988, 1991 and 1993.

Those who won a title on the Tour this season, including Hwang You-min and Lee Ye-won, will also be in the field for the winner's prize money of 234 million won ($170,900) from a total purse of 1.3 billion won.

Lee has continued her momentum from last season, during which she won three titles. No golfer has won a second title on the Tour so far this season.

“My best result at this tournament was a fifth-place finish, but I will try to break that record this year,” Lee said in the press release.

Lee Joo-mi, grouped with Lee Chae-eun2 and Kim Ka-young, will be the first to tee off on the first hole at 6:50 a.m. on Thursday.

Defending champion Lee Da-yeon will then start with Choi Eun-woo and Hwang at 12:29 p.m. on the same hole.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]