As her role model, 28-year-old Jin Young Ko (Solaire), retains the world number one ranking for the second week in a row, “super rookie” Bang Shin-sil (KB Financial Group), who won her first title, is finally starting to make a name for herself on the world stage.
In the Women’s Golf World Rankings released on 30 October, Bang has jumped a whopping 123 places to No. 110, up from No. 233 last week.안전놀이터
The South Korean, who made her debut on the professional tour this season, has made rapid strides in her career, playing the final round of the championship group on three occasions, including the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) E1 Charity Open, which concluded on the 28th. It’s a quantum leap considering she was ranked 740th before her KLPGA debut.
With her victory and KRW162 million in prize money, Bang surpassed the KRW200 million career earnings mark (KRW278.89 million) in just her fifth start on the regular tour. This is a new record for the smallest number of tournaments, surpassing Choi Hye-jin, Park Min-ji, and Cho Ah-yeon (over six tournaments).
Bang, who exploded onto the scene as a fearsome rookie who can hit long shots up to 300 yards, complemented her calm game management in this tournament to quickly rise to the top.
His pace is remarkable. Ranked first in both stroke average (70.08) and driver tee-to-tee distance (259.63 yards), Bang finished third on the Rookie of the Year list (651 points), sixth on the money list (278.89 million won) and sixth on the Grand Prize list (146 points).
In his post-tournament interview, Bang made no secret of his ambitions to challenge on the world stage, and he is on the verge of breaking into the world’s top 100. At his current pace, it’s only a matter of time.
He cited Ko as a role model, saying, “I can learn a lot from him because he has a very good mental attitude and always works hard on the spot.”
After bouncing back from her injury, Ko defended her world number one ranking for the second week in a row. Nellie Coda (USA), Lydia Ko (NZL), Lilia Boo (USA) and Minjee Lee (AUS) rounded out the top five. Kim Hyo-joo (KOR) rounded out the top 10 in 10th place.
Bang Shin-sil, who said he plans to develop his finesse rather than his distance, has attracted so much attention at the tournament that he has been travelling to many galleries. “It’s really strange,” he said. I’m grateful that so many people recognise me and come to cheer me on. It’s a bit like being a celebrity.”
The goal in front of them came sooner than expected. “My goal was to secure a seed, but it’s great that it’s already happened. In the future, I want to play steadily in the remaining tournaments and place in the top 10.” “There are so many good players, so I will put down my greed and do my best in every tournament. I really want to win the KB Financial tournament, which is a sponsored event.”