Kim Ja-young claims KLPGA tour title in five years

Kim Ja-young was once called as an idol of middle-aged men as thousands of her fans came to see her whenever she played the game. However, Kim was almost forgotten for the last five years with no victories. She took the victory once again on Sunday and Park In-bee had to give up her first winning on the Korean tour due to the return of Kim Ja-young.

Kim defeated Park by 3 holes on Sunday in the final round of the Doosan Match Play Championship on the KLPGA tour held at the Ladena Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. She was ranked third in prize money with three wins for the 2012 season but failed to win for the past five years. Her winning on Sunday was her fourth victory in 1,743 days. Kim shed tears and kissed the trophy. Kim got the championship’s prize money of 175 million won. Park Inbee finished second for the six consecutive times in 18 games of the KLPGA tour.

Kim Ja-young finished 106 holes for 6 rounds until she reached the semifinals in that morning and Park In-bee had to play 100 holes to reach the final round. Kim continued to hit steady putts till the end to win the game, while constant games and hot weather caused Park to suffer reduced stamina and miss shots at the end of game. Kim shot an eagle at the 12th hole, shaking off the pursuits of Park In-bee, who had a birdie.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com