Hee Kyung Seo wins Saint Four Ladies Masters in Jeju

11/16/2008

Hee Kyung Seo birdied her last four holes to claim the inaugural Saint Four Ladies Masters on Jeju Island in South Korea on Sunday

The 22-year-old defeated compatriot Sun-Ju Ahn by two strokes on home soil at Saint Four Golf and Resort. The three-round tournament was co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA).

Seo has won five times on the KLPGA Tour this year and said that her game had improved significantly since she spent time practising with her friend Shin over the summer. She said that she could not believe how much Shin practised, which made her improve her short game.

According to officials from the KLPGA, golf is part of the school curriculum in Korea and for students who choose golf as their main sport at the age of 13, it is compulsory to practise for a minimum of two hours a day, seven days a week. This may help to explain why the top 14 places were filled with Korean names this week, and they comprise almost a third of the world’s top 100 ranked players.

Italy’s Veronica Zorzi was the best placed LET member in a share of 15th place on four-under-par. Meanwhile her compatriot Margherita Rigon, Belgium’s Lara Tadiotto and Australian Anna Rawson were part of a group of players a shot further back in a share of 17th.

Leaderboard - Final:

1. Hee Kyung Seo                KOR  69 67 66 202 -14
2. Sun Ju Ahn                      KOR  65 70 69 204 -12
3. So Yeon Ryu                    KOR  69 71 65 205 -11
4. Hye-Yong Choi                 KOR  71 67 69 207 - 9
    Dy Ye Na                         KOR  71 66 70 207 - 9
6. Chae A Oh                       KOR  68 72 69 209 - 7
    Bo Kyung Kim                   KOR  73 67 69 209 - 7
    Ha-Na Jang (am.)             KOR  72 68 69 209 - 7
9. Sun Wook Lim                  KOR  72 70 68 210 - 6
    Soo-Yun Kang                  KOR  70 71 69 210 - 6
    Ae-Ree Pyun                    KOR  71 68 71 210 - 6
    Hei Ji Kim                        KOR  71 67 72 210 - 6

Source: LET