296m Powerful Drive Awakens the Game... Bang Sin-sil Becomes the Queen of Reversal at High1

[Financial News] Bang Sin-sil (20) stood tall as the 'Queen of High1'. A breathtaking close match continued until the end. What decided the game was Bang Sin-sil's unique powerful driver and a putt from 5m away. What Bang Sin-sil proved at High1 was one thing. A strong heart, long drives, and the instinct not to miss the decisive moment. That created the grand reversal victory.
Bang Sin-sil began to fiercely chase Lee Ye-won (22) with her second win of the season. On the 13th, at the final 4th round of the High1 Resort Women's Open (total prize 1 billion won) of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour held at High1 Country Club (par 72) in Jeongseon, Gangwon, she scored 4-under-par 68. With a total of 14-under-par 274, she outpaced Kim Min-ju (21) and Hong Jeong-min (22) by 3 strokes to secure her second victory of the season.



Bang Sin-sil stood at the top again after 3 months since her first win of the season at the Nexen Saint Nine Masters in April. It was her fourth career win. Although she had no wins last year, she has already lifted her second trophy this year, jumping into the middle of the 'multi-win race'.
For Bang Sin-sil, this tournament was also a revenge match. This is because she was the runner-up at the iM Financial Open in April, where Kim Min-ju took her first win. At that time, Bang Sin-sil's long drives were no match for Kim Min-ju's exquisite short game in the strong wind. However, in the final round of this match, Bang Sin-sil also dominated in the short game.
In fact, until the 9th hole, Kim Min-ju seemed likely to win. Kim Min-ju recorded 12-under-par until the 9th hole, taking a step closer to victory. The gap widened to 3 strokes.


The turning point of the match came at the 11th hole (par 5, 526m) in the back nine. Starting in second place, Bang Sin-sil was unable to close the 2-stroke gap with Kim Min-ju until the 10th hole and was playing as if being chased. However, the moment she stepped onto the tee ground at the 11th hole, Bang Sin-sil did not hesitate. She took out her weapon, the driver. And she unleashed an explosive 296m drive. Her second shot sent the ball to the rough 20m from the pin, easily securing a birdie. The atmosphere of the tournament changed in an instant. While Kim Min-ju settled for par on this hole, the gap narrowed to 1 stroke.
At the 15th hole (par 5), she caught up with Kim Min-ju not with a long drive but with a meticulous strategy. Instead of the somewhat unstable driver, she safely placed the ball on the fairway with a wood, sacrificing distance. Then, she succeeded in placing her third shot within 2m of the hole, reducing another stroke to tie for the lead. It was a birdie created by a perfect wedge shot that spun back after passing the pin.



It was Kim Min-ju who lost momentum with this one shot. Kim Min-ju made a critical mistake at the 16th hole (par 3) in a fluster. Right after allowing a tie, she missed a 5.2m birdie putt at the 16th hole, followed by missing a 1.5m putt, recording a bogey with a 3-putt, leading to her downfall. Bang Sin-sil gained momentum. She dropped her second shot at the 17th hole (par 4) near the hole, extending the score by 2 strokes, effectively putting an end to the match.
With this victory, Bang Sin-sil raised her prize ranking from 8th to 3rd. She also jumped to 4th in the target points. She emerged as a strong contender chasing Lee Ye-won (22), who has no wins since the Doosan Match Play, reigniting the multi-win competition.
Meanwhile, Park Hyun-kyung and Kim So-yi tied for 4th with 10-under-par 278. Yoo Hyun-jo, who is first in average score, finished 8th, entering the top 10 for 7 consecutive tournaments. The KLPGA Tour will take a 2-week break for the summer heat after this tournament.



jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter