Field researcher Lee Jung-min solved major challenges

Lee Jung-min (32) of Hanwha Q Cells hit a hole-in-one at Hole 17 (par 3) in the third round of the 46th KLPGA Championship on Friday, and enjoyed the luck of receiving a Mercedes-Benz EQB worth 76 million won (approx. Lee will ride an Odyssey as Honda Korea's Ambassador this season. Thanks to the last hole-in-one, Lee will be leading the final round by one stroke.

However, without a lucky hole-in-one, Lee would have won the title anyway. In the first half alone, Lee garnered six birdies by making three consecutive birdies twice, before ending the game with a four-par difference. He kept his promise that he would play his own game no matter who he was with after three rounds.

At the fourth round of the championship held at Lakewood Country Club (par 72) in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday, Lee reduced his pars by six to seven birdies and one bogey to 23-under 265 overall. He has 234 million won (222 U.S. dollars) in prize money, adding to his car, and posted a 310 million won (322 dollars) jackpot in one competition. 23-under 265 is the minimum par tie for 72 holes in the KLPGA tour.

Lee, who boasts 10 wins in his tour but has never won a major championship, has won a major title for the first time in his 15 years. This is the first major championship of this season. He has 11 wins in total and one major.

Some golf fans might wonder when Lee Jung-min will come back, but he is still maintaining a solid position in the tour, where people in their early 20s are the trend. He added another victory in a year and four months after winning the PLK Pacific Rings Korea Championship in December 2022, which was the second competition of the 2023 season. This season was unusual as he tied for fourth place twice in the previous five competitions.

Lee Jung-min, who showed off his sharp iron shot from the beginning as his birdie putts ranged from 2 to 1 meter, 1 meter, and 1 meter from the 2nd to 4th holes, made a 6-meter birdie at the 6th hole (par 4) and reduced the number of strokes with a 60-centimeter tap-in birdie at the 7th hole (par 5). At 138 yards from the 8th hole (par 4), he attached the pin 70 centimeters to complete his second and third consecutive birdie.

At the end of the first nine holes, he was already six shots shy of Bang Shin-sil, who was ranking second at 17-under par at 23 under par. He failed to make a par putt of about 2 meters at Hole 10 (par 4), making his first bogey, but the chase did not heat up. When Jeon finished the game by jumping to second place, he was three shots shy of Lee Jung-min with six holes remaining. Lee sealed the game with a birdie at Hole 16 (par 4).

Lee Jung-min was nicknamed "iron shot master" as he recorded 78.2 percent of the green accuracy rate (second place overall) in 2015, when he recorded three wins in a season. His Green accuracy rate remains at 68 percent this season, but his sense of play in this year's event is similar to that of 2015. He played 10-under par on the day of the third round, and only missed the green once on the day, boasting 94.4 percent accuracy.

"The title of Major is definitely a good one. I changed my putting practice, and my teammates helped me greatly with putting during winter training," Lee said. "After the third round, I tried to find an interview with Scottie Scheffler and think only of good things to say." "My goal this season is to improve my putts to the next level along with tee shot stability. If I continue to do this, I will become a 'putter' someday."

Lee Jung-min is a "golf researcher." If other players are undergraduates, Lee deserves to be called a Ph.D. or graduate student. He listens to seminars to improve putts and takes a look at the PGA Tour major competition The Open as an on-site gallery to gain a broader perspective. He focuses on swing and mental research rather than performance to the extent that he once said, "I don't feel like I should play better than my partner." He has experimented with various putts, including hitting with eyes closed or looking elsewhere, but this time, he hit the address line before hitting the address once or twice.

Jeon Ye-sung, ranking second at 19 under par, shot all 12 under par 60 on the day. He is tying for the smallest par at 18 holes in the KLPGA tour (Lee Jung-eun in 2017). Jeon garnered 12 birdies, setting a new record for the most birdies at 18 holes in the tour's history. Bang Shin-sil, who recorded even par, is tied for third at 16-under par with Kim Min-byul and Park Ji-young.
 

BY: 토토사이트