Kang Min-ah (22) won the ‘KLPGA 2023 Baekje CC Samdaein Red Ginseng Ball Jump’ held at Sabi (OUT) and Hanseong (IN) courses at Baekje Country Club (par 72/6,258 yards) located in Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do In the third round of the tour (total prize money of 30 million won, championship prize of 4.5 million won), he won his first championship in his life.
Kang Min-a, who entered the final round with a 4-under-par 68 in the middle and was one stroke behind the leader and tied for second place, recorded an eagle on the first hole and gained momentum from the beginning. Afterwards, with stable performance, he tied 3 birdies and 1 bogey to reduce 2 more strokes and won the championship trophy with a final total of 8 under par 136 strokes (68-68).
Kang Min-ah said through the KLPGA, “I never imagined that I would really win. I still can’t believe it and I’m bewildered, but I’m happy that I’ve been rewarded for my hard work so far.” She continued, “I sincerely thank my family who always support me, and I am grateful to professional Lee Sang-hoon, professional Bae Ju-ha, and health trainer Kang Soon-pil, who have been guiding me since I first started playing golf. I want to thank all the people who helped me play golf and the sponsor, KLPGT, who gave me a great tournament,” she said.
Kang Min-ah cited the shot eagle recorded on the first hole of the final round as the driving force behind her victory. Kang Min-ah looked back, saying, “I was relieved by reducing my two strokes from the beginning, and I was able to play the remaining holes with a comfortable mind, so my shot and putt feel improved.”
Kang Min-ah, who joined through the Associate Member Selection Tournament in March of this year, often played rounds with her family in middle school, but became interested in golf and started her career as a player in earnest in her first year of high school. Kang Min-ah said, “When I first talked about becoming a golfer, my parents were very worried, but they actively supported me by asking me to do what I wanted to do.”
When asked about her goal, she said, “My primary goal is to become a regular member this year and also win the Dream Tour. In the long term, I want to become a player who is active on the regular tour, and I want to play on the American stage someday.”
In addition,크크크벳 Jung Ji-hyeon (19, Samchully), who recorded a final total of 6 under par 138 strokes (69-69), was ranked second alone, and Jung Hee-won B (20), Han Ah-reum (19), and Choi Yi-soo (18) tied for a final total of 5 under par 139 strokes. formed the third group. Park Seo-ryeong (19), the winner of the second leg, tied for 13th with a final total of 1 under par 143 strokes, and Sayaka Kitsuya (21, Japan), the winner of the first leg, stayed in a tie for 59th.