'Disqualified in the first round faster than the cutoff': Park Hyun-kyung's fatal error, how did the '8-time winner' end up like this?

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Hyun-kyung (26, Medihill) bowed her head after a fatal mistake. It was a farce that occurred because she failed to follow the rules.

Park Hyun-kyung was disqualified during the first round of the Korean Women's Open held on the 10th at Lakewood Country Club in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.

This was because the use of a prohibited distance-measuring device by Park Hyun-kyung was only confirmed on the 4th hole.

It is a straightforward matter. The Korean Women's Open is a tournament organized by the Korea Golf Association (KGA), not the Korea LPGA (KLPGA).

There are also differences in local rules, the most representative being the use of distance-measuring devices. While the use of distance-measuring devices is permitted in KLPGA tour events, it is prohibited in the Korean Women's Open.

For players competing on the KLPGA tour, using distance-measuring devices is only natural. However, as a professional golfer, and especially for Park Hyun-kyung who has won eight times, it is regrettable that she did not fully familiarize herself with the regulations.

Park Hyun-kyung used a distance-measuring device from the 1st hole through the 3rd hole. Broadcast footage also captured her using the device without any suspicion.

According to local rules, a first violation results in a two-stroke penalty, but two or more violations lead to disqualification.

There was also a case that could serve as a warning. The same thing happened at the 2024 Korean Women's Open. Jeon Woo-ri was disqualified after using a distance-measuring device on the 3rd hole of the first round.

Jeon Woo-ri realized this rule too late at the 3rd hole teeing ground and voluntarily reported it to the competition committee, but since she had already used the distance-measuring device several times on the 1st and 2nd holes, she could not avoid disqualification.

At the time, this fact became widely known and sparked discussion, making Park Hyun-kyung's mistake even more painful since she could not have been unaware of it.

Meanwhile, Wang Zixuan (China) also used a distance-measuring device on the 1st hole. However, since it was a single violation, she received a two-stroke penalty and was not disqualified.

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*This content was translated by AI.