Stars of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour are enjoying a sweet yet intense "two-week pause."
According to the KLPGA on the 24th, the tour is taking a two-week break following the High1 Resort Women's Open on the 12th of this month, before launching its second-half schedule with the Aurora World Championship on the 30th.
The ways players are using their two weeks away from the field are as varied as they come. The choice made by the most players is, by far, "training." Park Min-ji, who reached 20 career wins with her victory at the Sh Suhyup Bank MBN Women's Open in May, described the short break as "a time of golf, for golf, just without competing," focusing on rounds, weight training and inspecting the courses for second-half tournaments. Kim Min-byeol filled 80% of her schedule with practice and fitness training, while Bang Shin-sil is devoting her energy to technical checks and physical conditioning. Cho A-yeon is building her fitness with running and boxing while refining her shots through driver fitting, and Park Hyun-kyung packed her schedule with iron shot reinforcement training. Roh Seung-hee and Kim Jae-hee are also practicing seven days a week, preparing to turn things around in the second half.
Some players are keeping their competitive edge on overseas stages. Kim Min-sol, who leads the Rookie of the Year race with three wins this season, is throwing herself into training for the AIG Women's Open, the season's final major to be held next week, and boards a flight to the United Kingdom on the 25th. Kim Su-ji finished tied for sixth at the Meiji Yasuda Ladies on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour last week, while Lee Ye-won is competing in a JLPGA Tour event this week and Lim Jin-young in the Golfzon China Open, a screen golf tournament in China, maintaining their competitive sharpness.
Unusual activities during the break are also drawing attention. "Rookie" Yang Hyo-jin visited the Sinansan Line construction site of her title sponsor Daebo Construction, where she drew attention by performing the national gymnastics routine alongside workers. Park Hyun-kyung took the mound as a ceremonial pitcher at a KIA Tigers professional baseball game. Players belonging to Doosan Engineering & Construction, including Lee Yul-lin, Park Gyeol, Park Hye-jun and Lee Se-young, released "off-mode" photo shoots reflecting their individual hobbies and personalities, showcasing their charm off the field.
