By Kim Jeong-kyu
Memorable and enthralling was the final day of competition for the 5th Kyochon Honey Ladies Open title. Spectators felt the pressures of the closing day battle, watching contenders rise and fall.
The competition was a multilateral battle until the contestants finished the front nine. If the contenders at the top falter, there was a formidable pack lurking menacingly two or three shots back. Choi Hye-jin, Kim Hae-rym, Kim Ji-hyun2 and many others were bunching up, ready to make a furious run for the title.
After putting up a tight battle, Kim Hae-rym came from three shots behind to snatch a thrilling one-shot victory. It was a fascinating final round at the par-71 Elysian Gangchon Country Club in Choonchun, Kangwon Province. Once again, Kim Hae-rym quietly conquered the 5,789-yard golf course, coping with that final-round pressure.
Of course, Kim Ji-hyun2 and Lee Da-yeon fought strenuously for the crown. But Kim Hae-rym played with a serene calm, holding them off with hardly any blunders.
Indeed, it was a thrilling two-person race between Kim Hae-rym and Lee Da-yeon over the last four holes. An extraordinary incident occurred later in the last part of the game, dramatizing the duel between Kim and Lee.
Starting the final round in the light rain, Kim Hae-rym was three shots back from the overnight leader Jang Su-yeon at four-under. Kim made the turn at two―under. She was one shot behind Kim Ji-hyun2 and Lee Da-yeon, who were sharing the lead.
Kim and Lee, playing in the same group, collected three birdies on the 11th, 13th and 14th, making par on the 12th. Kim Hae-rym birdied the 15th, Lee following suit with a tap-in birdie.
Lee Da-yeon maintained her one shot lead over Kim Hae-rym and Kim Ji-hyun2. However, no one could not still predict who would triumph. Kim and Lee had the three most difficult holes to play.
From the par-5 15th hole, the contest turned into a tight duel between Kim and Lee.
Lee Da-yeon hit the green in two, putting the ball a touch far away from the hole. From there, Lee almost made eagle with a way long putt, setting up tap-in birdie. Meanwhile, Kim hit the green with her third shot, leaving her with a lengthy birdie putt. After parring the hole, Kim was two-shot behind Lee with three holes to play. Lee clearly had the initiative in the battle.
On the par-3 16th, Lee hit her tee shot short of the green. Kim made a decent shot not so far from the hole. Lee caused momentary misgivings about what she was about to do to get up-and-down for par. But Lee completed the hole without incident. They left the hole behind with a par.
With two-shots back, Kim walked to the par-4 17th tee, where she whacked her shot in the middle of the fairway. Lee pulled her tee shot into the left bunker, sending her second shot to the right of the green. She looked like she was having trouble fighting off the pressure to win the title. However, with her third shot settled near the cup, she still had a chance of saving par with one good putt.
Kim, hitting her putt first before Lee, set up a dramatic, unforgettable moment. Kim superbly rolled in a long birdie putt. Her ball beautifully curved from right to left to disappear into the hole. Indeed, the astonishing birdie putt was a break every champion needs to catch to clinch victory. She hit the putt a touch too hard. If the ball did not fall into the cup, Kim would have trouble making par on the hole.
With the birdie, Kim opened the door for winning the trophy. In the end, the birdie putt was a fatal knockout blow to her rival.
Lee Da-yeon, stunned by the incredible birdie, struggled with the putter, failing to get up-and-down for par. Worse yet, she compounded the mistake with a three-putt double bogey. Her putter betrayed her. She coughed up her one-shot lead, almost blowing her chance.
Lee allowed Kim to overtake her by one shot. The revolting double-bogey sealed Lee's fate, with only the last hole to play.
On the par-3 18th, Kim Hae-rym made an easy two-putt par.
If Lee could birdie the hole, she still had a chance to pull even with Kim and force a play-off. However, Lee missed the birdie putt in the makeable zone, settling for second place with Kim Ji-hyun2.
With a smile, Kim Hye-rym watched the contenders playing behind her. As expected, no players could catch Kim. And her fellow players showered the victor with praise, dumping water on her. It was a historical moment that Kim defended her title three times successfully in a row. Kim pulled off the extraordinary feat in 16 years of Korean LPGA history.
The overnight leader Jang Su-yeon faded away early after a quadruple bogey on the fifth hole. She pulled her tee shot twice into the bushes on the left side before finding her ball on the fairway.
Incidentally, Ko Jin-young competing strongly in the LPGA Tour notched the title in 2015. Ko made history by becoming the first player in 67 years to triumph in her international debut as an LPGA member. The KLPGA has many young talented golfers, serving as a major pipeline of an endless supply of prodigies to the LPGA.