“My two failures in the Champions Group were a lesson learned” KLPGA Tour ‘rookie’ Bang Shin-sil won the Champions Group in her third attempt.
Bang shot a 2-under 70 with just two birdies in the final round of the KLPGA Tour E1 Charity Open at Seongmunan CC in Wonju, Gangwon Province on Monday. With a final total of 9-under-par 207, Bang finished two strokes clear of the second-place group.
Bang, who made her KLPGA Tour debut this year, was in contention for the title at both the KLPGA Championship last month and the NH Investment Securities Ladies Championship two weeks ago, where she was in the championship group on the final day, but finished fourth and third, respectively.
At the NH Investment Securities Ladies Championship, she was in the lead but dropped back after a bad tee shot on the 16th hole. However, on this day, she was all smiles after her two previous disappointments.
“It still hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m so happy and it feels like a dream,” she said after the match. “Playing in a group of two-time champions was a lot of pressure. But I also learned a lot of lessons, and based on those lessons, I was able to play comfortably today.”
“Today, I chose to play it safe and stay in the fairways instead of being aggressive,” he said, “The course was wet from the rain, so I had less distance, but the greens held the ball well, so it was easier to hit iron shots.”
A birdie on the par-5 16th proved to be the difference메이저놀이터. Bang birdied the hole while runners-up Kim Hee-ji and Kim Min-sun bogeyed it. “I was going for a two-on, but it wound up a little bit and landed near the green,” said Bang. “My running approach stayed close to the hole and made birdie, which was crucial.”
Bang, who captained the national team, was seeded 40th on the KLPGA Tour last year. With only 10 tournaments left to play this season, she won the tournament and earned a KLPGA Tour seed for the rest of the year and into the 2025 season.
“My friends and sisters all made it to the regular tour and I didn’t, so it was a big struggle for me,” Bang said, adding, “I’m most happy to have secured a spot on the regular tour until 2025.”
He also revealed the secret to his long game, which averages 259.6 yards. “During my winter training in Thailand, I did speed drills for two and a half months, an hour and a half for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” he said, “and it added about 20 yards to my distance. I increased my swing speed by swinging the empty swing tool hard.”
“I want to enter the LPGA Tour if I’m good enough, and I also want to become the No. 1 player in the world,” said Bang, who considers Ko Jin-young, a former national captain who rose to No. 1 in the women’s world rankings, as her “role model.” “This year, my goal was to get a regular tour seed, and I achieved it quickly,” she said.
“I want to be in the top 10 consistently, so I’ll put aside my rookie ambitions and do my best in each tournament,” she said. He also mentioned the KB Financial Championship, hosted by his main sponsor, as a tournament he would like to win.