'First Major Title in History' Park Bo-kyum: "Most Thrilling and Fun Victory of My Career... I Will Not Lose My Original Intention"

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Bo-kyum (28, Samcheonri) conquered the third major stage of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) tour season this year, securing her first-ever major queen title in her career.

On the 13th, Park shot a final round 4 under par 71 with three birdies and two bogeys at Blackstone Icheon Golf Club (par 72) in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, where the KB Financial Golden Life Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion won) was held.

Finishing with a total of 5 under par 283, Park Bo-kyum edged out persistent challenges from Park Ye-ji, Bang Sin-sil, and Yoo Seo-yeon (all at 4 under par 284) by one stroke to lift the championship cup.

This is her first trophy since last March's Blue Canyon Ladies Championship, marking a return after approximately one year and six months, and it is her fourth career victory. With this first major title in her career, Park Bo-kyum also secured the winning prize of 270 million won.

According to the KLPGA, after the tournament, Park Bo-kyum said, "I am extremely happy to have achieved my first win of the season and my first major championship victory," adding, "I will continue to show you many good performances in the future."

The score difference with the leaders was not large, so there was significant tension from before the start. Park Bo-kyum stated, "It is true that I felt anxious from the very first hole. I knew that the players at the top were formidable and the gap was narrow," but added, "However, I decided to focus only on doing what I wanted to do without any regrets, setting a personal goal in my mind. It wasn't perfect, but it was a successful day where I finished well."

She also shed light on the mental struggles she faced earlier this season due to difficulties with her iron shots. Park Bo-kyum said, "I thought I would have a smooth start to this season, but from the domestic opening tournament, my iron shots became unstable, and I couldn't create birdie opportunities, which lowered my self-esteem." She continued, "Practicing various shot types without being tied to a single ball flight to improve my iron play was a great help. As my swing improved, I regained my rhythm."

She also added her philosophy on making bold changes. He said, "If you don't change, results won't follow. Just as the world changes, golf must evolve with the trends. This year, the course length has increased significantly, and I believed that to win, I had to adapt accordingly, so I made a bold change."

She also confessed about the immense pressure unlike any previous victory. Park Bo-kyum said, "When hitting my third shot on the final hole, my heart was beating at a rate I had never felt in my life, and I trembled more than expected. When making the birdie putt, I thought my heart was jumping out of my ears." She added with a smile, "Among all my victories so far, this was the most nerve-wracking and thrilling, the most exciting and fun. Immediately after winning, tears didn't come, but they burst forth only after meeting my parents."

She also revealed her ambitions for the rest of the season. Park Bo-kyum pledged, "With many high-prize-money tournaments remaining in the future, I will strive to maintain my original intention as I do now and show good play to fans."

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*This content was translated by AI.