Bang Shin-sil defeated Park Joo-young. A thrilling reversal, Kim Min-ju, the first champion of the iM Financial Open! I'm thrilled to win my first professional championship!
Apr 13, 2025
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Kim Min-joo won her first KLPGA Tour victory.
Kim Min-ju hit 5 under par in the final round of the iM Financial Open at Golf Zone County Sunsan in Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 13th, recording a total of 15 under par in the fourth round, and enjoying her first championship since her professional debut in 2022. This competition was a new competition, and Kim Min-ju even took the honor of being the first champion and won 180 million won in prize money.
Kim Min-ju started the final round in fifth place alone, two strokes behind the lead. It wasn't an easy match. At the joint lead was long hitter Bang Shin-sil and veteran Park Chu-young. On top of that, there was a huge wind at the stadium, making it difficult for any player to show their skills.
However, Kim Min-joo reduced four shots in the first half alone and was ready to become the main character of the unexpected event. And he became the sole leader for the first time by making a birdie on the 10th hole.
After allowing Kim Min-joo to turn the tables, Bang Shin-sil, who maintained the lead in the first half, even hit a bogey on the 12th hole and began to move away from the championship. Kim Min-joo seemed to give a gap with a bogey on the 17th hole, but the Bang Shin-sil also failed to reduce the gap in pars with a bogey through the 17th hole.
Kim Min-joo sealed the victory with a wedge birdie on the 18th hole. Bang Shin-sil and Park Chu-young failed to reduce the number of pars in the final round and had to settle for a 12-under tie for second place.
Lee Ga-young, Ji Han-sol and Li Shu-ying followed with a 9-under-par tie for fourth, while opening game Doosan Engineering & Construction Weave Championship winner Lee Ye-won continued to rise to 8-under-par seventh.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
