‘Rookie’ Kim Min-byul (19, Hite Jinro) will try to regain the top spot in the Rookie of the Year race in a week.
Kim will take part in the ‘EverCollagen-Ducierna Queen’s Crown 2023’ at The Siena Country Club in Jeju City for four days from the 13th.토토사이트
Kim entered the top tier of the tour this season with the prestigious title of ‘top seeded player’. As many promising players who have gone through the national team have blossomed in the professional ranks, Kim’s potential seemed to be reaching its full potential sooner than most.
Starting with a sixth-place finish at the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open in Korea, Kim stood out among the rookies with three consecutive top-10 finishes in the first three events of the season, including a third-place finish at the Mediheal-Korea Times Championship and a fifth-place finish at the Nexen-Saint Nine Masters.
However, things changed in May. Fellow rookie Bang Shin-sil won her first professional title at the E1 Charity Open, followed by Hwang Yoo-min at the Daewoo Women’s Open last week.
It wasn’t as if Kim Min-byul didn’t have a chance to win. At the Korea Women’s Open, she lost the trophy to Hong Ji Won in a close match that went into extra sets. She also faced off against Hwang Yoo-min, who won the tournament in overtime.
In 14 tournaments this season, Kim has only missed the cut once and has an impressive resume of six top-10 finishes, two second-place finishes, and one third-place finish. Considering her rookie status, it’s no exaggeration to say that her score is over 100.
Kim Min-byul. ⓒ KLPGA
However, as a professional, competition is inevitable, and coincidentally, her debutantes have already combined for two wins.
For Kim, it can be a bitter pill to swallow, but she’s keeping her cool. “I feel like I’ve made up for my deficiencies during the tournament,” she said, “I’ve been paying attention to my physical condition as the weather has gotten hotter, but I have a good shot and putt feeling, so I definitely want to win this tournament,” she added, expressing her desire to reach the top.
After leading the Rookie of the Year race for most of the season, Kim Min-byul was overtaken by Hwang Yoo-min last week.
With 1412 points, only 33 points separate Kim Min-byul from Hwang Yoo-min (1445 points), who has moved into first place. The tournament is worth 800 million won in prize money, so if she wins, she will earn 270 Rookie of the Year points, and if she just makes the cut, she will earn 35 points.
This means that if Kim Min-byul doesn’t fall victim to the upset of missing the cut, she will take over the lead from Hwang Yoo-min in just one week. With Hwang Yoo-min out of the tournament due to illness, Kim will tee off in a group with veterans Park Hyun-kyung and Lee So-young.