Madasom, who won the Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour’s Hana Financial Group Championship (total prize money of 1.5 billion won), said with a smile on her face.
Madasom carded an 11-under 61 with one eagle and nine birdies in the fourth round on the final day of the tournament at Bears Best Cheongna (par-72) in Incheon on Monday.
Madasom’s final total of 19-under-par 269 gave her a nine-stroke victory over second-place Yoon In Na for her second career title.
Her 61 is the third-lowest 18-hole score in KLPGA Tour history, while her nine-stroke victory is the fourth-largest margin of victory.
“When I birdied the last four holes in a row, I thought, ‘I’m a little bit close to winning,’” said Madasom, who literally dominated the tournament. ”I thought I had to get through the 17th hole well, so I played hard until the end and it paid off.”
“I had double bogeyed the 17th hole when I was runner-up at the 2023 Korea Women’s Open and bogeyed the 17th hole when I won the OK Financial Group Women’s Open,” she said. ”I was conscious of the 17th hole today as well, but when I first saw the leaderboard on the 16th hole and realized that there was a big gap, my nerves eased.”
Madasom, who finished with 23 putts on the day, said, “I think it’s the first time I’ve ever putted like that,” adding, “I think it’s not just the putts, it’s the simplicity of the whole game that worked for me today.”
“My lowest round as an amateur was 10-under par with a hole-in-one and an eagle in one day,” he said, adding, ”I had a scary dream after the second round where I threw a little stuffed monkey out of the house and it kept coming back in, but I hope it was a good dream.”
Madasom, whose birthday was two days earlier on the 27th, said, “I got a big birthday present that I didn’t plan for (the $270 million winnings), but I’m going to plan for it,” adding, “I got a big birthday present.”
He started playing golf in the fifth grade and became a member of the national team in 2020 after enrolling at the Korea Gymnastics University to fulfill his national dream. His teammates include Yoon In-na and Lee Ye-won, who are three or four years younger.
“I became a regular soldier in high school because my skills came up late, and I turned professional late to fulfill my national dream,” Madasom said, adding, ”As I became a professional late, I want to play even later, so I will become a long-running player.”
Playing in a group with Yoon Inna and Kim Soo-ji, two of the tour’s longest hitters, he said, “I don’t play a lot of distance, and I’m confident with my iron shots, so I just focused on my game without thinking about it.” “My tee shot on the first hole went into the bunker, but I blocked it well, and then I relaxed when the long putt went in,” he said.
“My tee shot was unstable this year, so I wasn’t sure if I could win again, but I believed in myself and stabilized my tee shot,” Madasom said, adding, ”I will aim for a top-10 finish at next week’s major, the Hite Jinro Championship.” 바카라사이트