Golf is a game won by shaving strokes, but often it is decided by protecting them. On courses so demanding that birdies rarely come, avoiding bogeys matters even more.
Park Bo-gyeom, 28, of Samchully tamed one such course to win her first major title, after a duel as tight as a pitchers' battle in baseball.
Park shot a 1-under 71 on the 13th, with three birdies and two bogeys, in the final round of the KB Financial Golden Life Championship at Blackstone Golf Club Icheon (par 72) in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The tournament, the third major of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour season, carried a total purse of 1.5 billion won ($1.1 million). Park finished at 5-under 283, one stroke ahead of Bang Shin-sil, Park Ye-ji and Yoo Seo-yeon, who tied for second at 4-under.
Park, who joined the regular tour in 2021, has now won once a year for four straight years since her first victory in 2023, giving her four career titles. It was her first major in five years on tour. The 270 million won first-place check lifted her season earnings to 497.04 million won, moving her to 10th on the money list from 33rd.
The win came from behind in a crowded field. Park began the final round tied for second, one stroke behind leader Park Ye-ji. She missed the green with her third shot on the par-5 first hole but chipped in for birdie, then picked up another stroke at the par-3 third. Bogeys at the par-5 fifth and the par-3 seventh halted her momentum. She got back under par with a birdie at the par-4 eighth, then went bogey-free on the back nine, stringing together pars to close out the title. "The birdie on the first hole was lucky, and I thought the pin positions on the front nine were relatively easy," Park said. "It was a hard course and every day was a grind, but not trying too hard is what kept me from making mistakes."
The razor-thin contest turned on a par save. Both Park and Yoo missed the green at the par-3 16th, but Yoo missed a par putt of about two meters while Park holed one from slightly closer, taking sole possession of the lead. The one-stroke margin held from there, effectively settling the tournament. Yoo kept her hopes of a first career win alive by saving par at the par-4 17th even after finding a bunker with her second shot. But her birdie putt on the closing par-5 slid just past the hole. Park closed with routine pars at the 17th and 18th and joined the ranks of major champions amid boisterous congratulations from fellow players.
Bang, who made four birdies through the sixth hole, was one stroke off the lead when a bogey at the par-4 17th — after visiting a bunker and the rough — proved costly. Park Ye-ji, chasing her first career win, fell out of the lead with a double bogey at the par-5 fifth but took some consolation from a closing birdie that secured a share of second.
Seo Gyo-rim, a four-time winner this season, finished fifth alone at 3-under to reclaim the top spot on the money list with 1.38 billion won. Kim Min-sol, a three-time winner this year, tied for 47th and slipped to second with 1.375 billion won.
"Winning a major was a personal goal, so even though this week was long and hard, it was worth it," Park said afterward. "I struggled early in the season and wondered whether I could win again, but I think waiting calmly without getting impatient led to this." She added: "I've won once a year for four years. This year I want multiple wins, so I'll do my best in the remaining events."
