Chun In-gee wins World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup

On April 19 when the final round of Samcheonri Together Open of Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association was scheduled to be held, Chun In-gee (aged 21, HiteJinro) had a happy smile while Ko Jin-young (aged 20, Nefs) a smile of frustration. Because of heavy rain that started from the morning, which canceled the final round, the winner was decided based on the performance record up to the second round held the previous day. The winner was Chun In-gee with five under par and the next winner Ko Jin-young with four under par. Back then, Chun expressed her gratitude to Ko who gave heartfelt congratulations even with her own sense of frustration.

This time, the two bitter-sweet golfers shared bright smile on Sunday with their championship cup, Chun in Japan and Ko in Korea.

Chun In-gee rewrote the history of golf as she won the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup, a major event in Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association.

At the final 4th round held in the East Course (6,550 Par 72) in Ibaraki Golf Club, Japan, Chun shut a one-over-par 73. Up until the previous day, she was the solo frontrunner with 5 strokes ahead of the second runner and grabbed the championship cup, leaving out Momoko Ueda on the second place (eight under par) even after she lost one stroke. With her victory, Chun pocketed 24million Japanese Yen (approx. 218 million Korean won).

According to Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association, Chun In-gee was the first one who won the championship at a major tour immediately after making debut at the tour in Japan. With her victory at 20 years and 273 days, she has also become the youngest champion in the event. Previously, Misuzu Narita was the youngest record holder at 21 years and 215 days.

The four major tours of Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association include Salonpas Cup, JLPGA Championship (September), Japan Women`s Open Golf (October) and Tour Championship (November).

Out of 10 events of Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association in this season, three Korean golfers grabbed the championship cups, which include Lee Ji-hee (aged 36) who won Yokohama Ladies Cup on March and Shin Ji-ae (aged 27, Three Bond) who made it to the top at CyberAgent Ladies Golf Tournament last week.

uni@donga.com