"Can't I win?" Nine runner-up frustrations, a "putting lesson" that brought the championship... Choi Ye-rim: "I want to reach 10 wins" [Pohang]

*This content was translated by AI.

"Am I a player who cannot win?"

She was more consistent than anyone else but always fell short on the biggest stage. Choi Ye-rim (27, Hyumons), who repeatedly faced despair, finally lifted a precious championship trophy.

On the 6th at Adonis Country Club (par 72) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Choi Ye-rim secured three birdies and two bogeys in the final third round of the KLPGA Tour OK Savings Bank Eutman Open (total prize money 1 billion won), shooting a 1-under-par 71. With a total score of 9-under-par 135, she claimed the championship by one stroke over Im Hee-jeong (Doosan Construction We've).

This precious victory came in her 239th tournament since debuting on the KLPGA Tour in 2018.

Adding the 180th million won first-place prize money, Choi Ye-rim jumped eight spots in the prize money ranking to third place (approximately 659.94 million won). She also added 103 points to her award points, accumulating a total of 326 points and jumping three spots to be marked as third.

Choi Ye-rim, who has been active on the KLPGA Tour since 2018, finished as runner-up in her debut season and again the following year. In 2022, she secured runner-up finishes twice. Although she established herself as a player consistently holding top positions, she could not quite reach the championship for a long time.

She felt the sadness of second place three times: once as runner-up in 2023 and twice with consecutive runner-up finishes in 2024. Even this season, she had to settle for runner-up at the Maycol Mona Yongpyong Open last June.

After moving into sole lead by cutting seven strokes in the second round, Choi Ye-rim said, "I have many thoughts of wanting to win, but my resolve remains the same. I plan to play with a relaxed mind." She added, "I keep telling myself 'I am already a player who has won' to calm my mind and play."

The effect of self-hypnosis was definite. Choi Ye-rim secured birdies starting from the 1st hole (par 4) and also on the 5th (par 5) and 9th holes (par 5). She pulled away by six strokes from the second-place group, appearing to secure the championship early.

There were moments of crisis as well. Im Hee-jeong finished her round first after cutting six strokes without any bogeys, closing in on Choi Ye-rim. Having lost only two strokes in the back nine, Choi Ye-rim faced a situation where she had to protect her score at the 18th hole (par 4). Her tee shot landed in the rough, creating anxiety, but she steadily got her second shot onto the green and calmly made two putts to secure the victory.

After receiving sincere congratulations from her teammates, Choi Ye-rim took the stage for a post-ceremony championship press conference. "It's been nine years since my first win, and I feel so happy and dazed," she said. "I usually have rich emotions and cry often, but it seems like I didn't cry this time. I just feel happy."

Focusing on controlling her mind again today, Choi Ye-rim said, "I think the effect was significant. I consciously avoided looking at the leaderboard because I thought it would distract me from focusing on the remaining holes. I tried not to look as much as possible and kept asking my caddie, 'Can I play comfortably?' He let me play comfortably."

Nevertheless, she faltered somewhat in the back nine compared to the front nine. Choi Ye-rim said, "I wasn't flustered; I kept thinking about how to hit the next shot '(from the rough)?' and asked myself 'Is the slope steep?' or 'If it is, how do I hit it?' while playing the back nine." She added, "My mindset didn't seem to change much, but even though I hit well despite the wind blowing, I found myself occasionally landing in the rough. I realized I need to play with a relaxed swing."

The biggest change this season was her putting. Even during her career-best 2024 season when she finished as runner-up three times and ranked 13th in prize money, her average putts per round were 32nd (29.95). This season, however, she surged to 11th (29.68).

Choi Ye-rim said, "My iron and driver accuracy are the same as last year. The difference is putting. Since I've been making more putts when they are in range, my chances of birdies or par saves have become significantly better than last year." She continued, "I hadn't received putting lessons before, but after receiving them, I was polished a lot. They corrected my posture and advised me to view the (putting) line comfortably, which was very helpful. I used to feel very anxious when putting, but this season I have gained much confidence."

Although she was more consistent than anyone else, she repeatedly stumbled at the threshold of victory, making it crucial to calm her own mind. Recalling her past runner-up scenes, Choi Ye-rim said, "I felt very embarrassed many times. Sometimes my rhythm sped up; other times it slowed down. I often thought I couldn't maintain my tempo." She added, "Thinking about playing comfortably was helpful. When I was in contention, I thought, 'Does it matter if I finish second 10 or 20 times after doing it nine times?'"

She continued, "I lost every time we went to extra holes, so I often thought, 'If this is going to happen, maybe I shouldn't go to extra holes,' but then I thought, 'If we reach extra holes, shouldn't we consider ourselves winners?' Before, I thought, 'Maybe I'm a player who can't win,' but now I have gained much confidence that 'I am also a player who can win.'"

She broke down one of her own walls and removed the mental burden. Choi Ye-rim said, "After finishing as runner-up many times and going home, I always couldn't sleep well. I was tormented by thoughts like 'Why did I do that on this hole?' and blamed myself for days." Yet she expressed satisfaction, saying, "Now I think I can sleep with my legs stretched out."

Her next goal is more wins. Choi Ye-rim said, "I've been a consistent player for the past nine years, so now I want to become a player who wins often. I want to reach 10 wins." Regarding her goals for the second half of the season, she stated, "There are many major tournaments and two majors remaining, and I really want to win here. Blue Heron (Hite Jinro Championship) is my first sponsor, and I practiced there a lot, so I want to win there."

For achieving this season's majors and ultimately 10 wins, she cited physical strength as essential. Choi Ye-rim said, "I think if I improve physically and increase my driving distance, more chances will come." She added, "The courses are getting longer and more difficult these days, so I expect to be able to hit comfortably even from the rough. This winter, I plan to focus on physical improvement."

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*This content was translated by AI.