klpga:2023 CreaS F&C The 45th KLPGA Championship (Major)

I'm guessing Sharon got the invite because she is a former champion? I love how the clothes she's wearing while in the gallery look more appropriate for a shopping spree in Seoul than walking on a golf course. Especially the purse LOL.

Some observations:

- Congrats to Da Yeon Lee. She's gone through a lot and deserves the flowers. But man, she has to work on her speed. I watch the rounds on the English broadcast largely so I can fast forward through the nonsense, and I ended up skipping a lot of her because it would take her so fricking long to pull the trigger. I timed her once at like three minutes: look at the shot, walk up to it, a couple practice swings, readjust, walk back, look again, yada yada. Add onto that So Young Lee, who is the same, and I felt so much pity for Bang in that same group.

- This event was not nearly the blowout it seemed. For much of the day there were five golfers who had a legit shot of taking it. Bang and Da Yeon were frequently tied at the top or Lee had a one-shot lead. So Young Lee was usually one or two shots back, as were Gyeol Park and Ye Been Sohn.

- Sohn, whom I was rooting most for, ripped off three straight birdies to get to 8 under, barely missed a birdie for four in a row (hanging on lip), then nearly made one from like 40 feet on the hole after that. She was a national team member a few years ago, so it's nice to see her tote up a great result finally after a very slow start (she played well last week, too; t-14th). As one of only two Nike girls, she stands out.

- Gyeol, meanwhile, never seemed like she was going to win. It's hard to say, but it was like every time she got close she made her worst putts. Still a good finish for her.

- On the first par five on the back nine, no one was even trying to reach the green in two. Except Bang, who made it EASILY. Almost made the eagle, too. Da Yeon laid up, hit her third to 20 feet, then made the birdie anyways. That's when I knew she was going to win. She wasn't intimidated by that ridiculous display of power from Bang.

- On the 15th, Bang finally started hitting nervy shots. She was still just one back at that point. That's when Da Yeon turned up the heat, and from then on it was obvious she would win.

- Yewon managed four solid rounds and a tidy 6th. She was never in contention, but the greats find a way to collect a nice check even when they don't have their best.

- Bummed that the two rookie superstars didn't have good weeks, but their weeks were still solid and of course they wound up tied. Looking forward to their future clashes.

Congrats again to all.

Bang's final round highlights, including reaching the 11th green in two.



On the 13th, Bang drove it 293 meters (~320 yards). Her carry was what wowed the commentators; you can hear them mention 'carry'. LOL