In the 2023 Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour, which has played 7 tournaments, Park Gyeol (27), who is known as the ‘model of the field’, is currently ranked 109th (225.76 yards) in drive shot distance. A total of 120 players are ranked. There are only 11 players with shorter distances than that. The short distance is a rugged mountain he has to overcome in every competition.
Park Gyeol started this season penniless in the first three tournaments. Until the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open and the PLK Pacific Rings Korea Championship held overseas last December, and the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open, which was held as the opening game in Korea this year, they did not touch a penny of the prize money. The sluggishness that came after the middle of last year continued until the beginning of this year.
However, Park Gyeol started to turn around by tying for 43rd at the Mediheal and Hankook Ilbo Championships. At the Nexen/Saint Nine Masters, he improved his shot sense further by finishing in a tie for 14th place, and took runner-up at the 45th KLPGA Championship, the first major tournament of the season, showing that his ‘competitiveness to win’ has not disappeared yet.
Park Gyeol, who debuted in 2015, has only won once. In October 2018, he won the first championship of his career at the SK Networks Seoul Economic Daily Ladies Classic held in Jeju.
Prior to that, although he did not win, he jumped into the championship competition several times. The number of runner-ups speaks for itself. Since the first runner-up at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship in May 2015, it has been runner-up a total of six times, including the S-OIL Championship in June 2018. His first win came after six runner-up finishes. However, after that championship, the runner-up disappeared for 4 and a half years, but it came back as a championship contender this season.
Park Gyeol also performed well last week in a tie for 12th at the Kyochon 1991 Ladies Open, which was reduced to 36 holes amid severe rain and wind. He shot 69 on the final day, and only four players, including the winner Park Bo-gyeom, had better results than him. He has competed for the championship in succession in the last three tournaments.
Currently, Park Gyeol’s prize money ranking is 12th (147.32 million won). Considering that he started penniless in the first three events of the season, this is a great result. He has already come close to the prize money he won last year (195.52 million won).먹튀검증
Park Gyeol has never been in the top 10 of the season prize money rankings. The 14th place (380.74 million won) recorded in 2018, when he won his only championship, was the highest prize money ranking.
In an interview with the Chris F&C KLPGA Championship, Gyeol Park said, “Every time I hit a tee shot, I hit it with all my might.” Even with these words of his, he makes us anticipate a season that he put all his efforts into. Will Park Gyeol be able to make it to the top 10 of the prize money rankings for the first time in his life?
Park Gyeol, who has participated in all competitions this season, also entered the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship (total prize money of 800 million won) held at the Suwon Country Club (par 72) in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province for three days from the 12th.
In this tournament, Park Min-ji, who is challenging for her third consecutive victory, Kim Su-ji, who won the grand prize last season, and Park Ji-young, Lee Da-yeon, Park Hyun-kyung, Lee So-young, and Lee Ye-won, who are ranked 1st to 5th in this year’s prize money ranking, will all participate.