Ma Da-som's strong finish secures Hana Financial Group Championship title

Ma Da-som won the Hana Financial Group Championship on Sunday at Bear's Best Golf Club in Incheon with a 19-under-par, 269, beating out a competitive field packed with top golfers from the KLPGA and around the world.

Ma Da-som hits a shot during the Hana Financial Group Championship on Sunday at Bears Best Golf Club in Incheon. [YONHAP]

Ma Da-som won the Hana Financial Group Championship on Sunday at Bear's Best Golf Club in Incheon with a 19-under-par, 269, beating out a competitive field packed with top golfers from the KLPGA and around the world to claim her second title and prize money of 270 million won ($201,000).

The Hana Championship, which traditionally sees top golfers from around the world, saw multiple prominent competitors this year, with Paris Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko and LPGA golfer Minjee Lee competing alongside KLPGA golfers.

The KLPGA golfers outshone the golfers from international tours from day one, however, with no non-KLPGA golfer finishing any round in the top spot.

Ma, Yoon Ina and Kim Su-ji were all tied at the top of the standings after the third round, with an eight-under-par, 208.

Ma was off to a smooth start in the final round, carding one par, two birdies and one eagle, in order, on the first four holes to claim the sole No. 1 spot, holding onto the position with five more pars through the ninth hole.

She further stretched the stroke gap at the top thereafter. She carded four straight birdies from the 10 to 13th holes and two pars and three more birdies for the remaining holes to complete a bogey-free 11-under-par, 61, for a final score of 19-under-par, 269, handing her the 2024 Hana Championship title.

The final round was her best performance during the tournament, recording the most birdies at nine and her only eagle throughout the competition.

“I feel like I haven’t been able to make good results because I was too greedy, so I focused on one or two key factors like swing and competed through the end,” Ma said after her victory. “I inevitably thought about [other competitors], but I tried not to think about them and continuously focused on my play.”

The victory is her first title since winning the OK Financial Group OK Man Open in September last year. The title comes two days after her 25th birthday.

Sunday’s victory is a huge improvement from her previous performance at the Daebo HausD Open a week ago where she failed to make the cut. The win also marks the second time she has made a top five finish this season, with her previous best record being a joint fifth place finish at the Heaven Masters last month.

Ma’s victory saw another defending champion Lee Da-yeon failing to defend the title. No golfer has yet to win the Hana Championship twice since it began in 2019.

Lee pulled off a strong performance throughout the competition, but still felll 12 strokes behind Ma to finish and tie for seventh.

Yoon also made 16 pars and two birdies, but failed to narrow the stroke gap with Ma through the end, falling nine strokes behind the winner to finish as the sole runner-up, managing her fourth runner-up finish. A victory would have marked her third KLPGA win in her career.

Kim, who won the Hana Championship in 2022, slipped down on the last day, making two double bogeys, one bogey and two birdies to tie for 11th with a five-under-par, 283.

Olympic gold medalist Ko, meanwhile, finished in 10th place with a six-under-par, 282, missing a chance to win her second KLPGA title.

Last season’s Hana Championship runner-up Minjee Lee also missed her first KLPGA title by tying for third alongside Thai golfer Patcharajutar Kongkraphan with a nine-under-par, 279.

The 2024 KLPGA season will continue with the season’s last major Hite Championship teeing off on Oct. 3. The campaign will last through November, with the SK Shieldus-SK Telecom Championship wrapping up the schedule.

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