Park Min-ji chases three-peat at NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship

Park Min-ji is looking to win a third consecutive NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship trophy as the tournament hosted by Park’s main sponsor tees off at Suwon Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi on Friday.

Park Min-ji poses with the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship trophy after winning the event at Suwon Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi on May 15, 2022. [YONHAP]

Park Min-ji is looking to win a third consecutive NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship trophy as the tournament hosted by Park’s main sponsor tees off at Suwon Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Friday.

The 24-year-old, the only golfer to win the event twice and defend the title, will compete among 132 golfers, including four former champions: 2015 champion Lee Jung-min, 2016 champion Jang Su-yeon, 2017 champion Kim Ji-yeong2 and 2018 champion In Ju-yeon.

“It is an honor to challenge a third consecutive victory at a single event,” Park said during a pre-tournament interview on Tuesday. “I want the title really bad as the tournament where I challenge a third consecutive victory is sponsored by my main sponsor NH Investment & Securities.

“I will do my best to win the event third year in a row.”

All five tournament winnings this season — Le Ye-won, Lee Joo-mi, Choi Eun-woo, Lee Da-yeon and Park Bo-kyeom — are joining the field as they look for a second victory of the season.

All of this season’s champions, apart from Le Da-yeon — this season’s first major winner at 45th CreaS F&C KLPGA Championship — claimed their first ever KLPGA title at the competition they won.

“I was really delighted about last week’s victory, but I tried to stay calm,” Park Bo-kyeom, who won the Kyochon 1991 Ladies Open on Sunday, said. “I clearly saw what I need to improve, so I am going to work harder.”

That couldn't be further from the truth for defending champion Park Min-ji, who with 16 trophies to her name is the winningest golfer currently active on the KLPGA Tour.

Two other golfers sponsored by NH Investment & Securities — Lee Ga-young and Jeong Yun-ji — as well as sponsor invitee Kim Hye-seung are also competing for the prize money of 144 million won ($108,800).

The NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship will be a 54-hole stroke play that will run from Friday through Sunday.

Lee Seung-yeon, Jeong Seul-gi and Kwak Bo-mi will be the first to tee off on the first hole at 6:50 a.m. Defending champion Park Min-ji will then start on the 10th hole alongside Park Bo-gyeom and Park Ji-young at 8:40 a.m.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]