Park Seong-hyun, a former world No. 1, fails to return to KLPGA regular tour... Ma Dasom tops qualifier

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The return of former world No. 1 Park Seong-hyun to the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) regular tour has been thwarted.

On the 13th, at the Mu-an Country Club (par 72) in Mu-an County, South Jeolla Province, where the final round of the KLPGA 2027 Regular Tour Qualifying Tournament concluded, Park Seong-hyun traded two birdies for two bogeys to record an even-par 72. Finishing with a total score of 2-under-par 286 (72-72-70-72), Park Seong-hyun placed 59th among the 127th participating players.

Typically, finishing within the top 20 in the qualifying tournament secures a full card for the following season, while placing within the top 30 grants a conditional card allowing limited tournament participation. Having finished 59th, Park Seong-hyun failed to secure a regular tour card for next year or even obtain a conditional card, leaving her with no option but to seek entry through the waitlist in case of vacancies or as an invited player.

After dominating the KLPGA stage with three wins in 2015 and seven wins in 2016, Park Seong-hyun moved to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in 2017. She went on to achieve a career-high world No. 1 ranking, amassing a total of seven victories, including two major championships.

However, following the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in June 2019, injuries and a slump kept her away from victory. This year, she competed on the LPGA's second-tier tour, attempting to return to the domestic stage by starting from the qualifying rounds, but ultimately failed to achieve her goal. Choi Woon-jung, another former LPGA Tour player who participated in the same event, also finished 70th.

Meanwhile, the honor of finishing first in this qualifying tournament went to Ma Dasom (27, Samchunri), who has four career wins on the regular tour. Ma Dasom, who was in second place with 13-under-par 203 after three rounds, carded six birdies without a single bogey in the final round to claim a comeback victory with a total score of 19-under-par 269 (69-67-67-66).

Ma Dasom, who debuted on the regular tour in 2022 and shared the title of leading money winner with three wins in the 2024 season, lost her card after finishing 65th in this year's money list. However, by passing the qualifier in first place, she secured a ticket to return to the regular tour next year.

According to the KLPGA, Ma Dasom stated, "The weather was cloudy and cold today, so I focused on playing steadily. My putting felt good, and my previously shaky tee shots regained stability." She added, "It has been quite a long time since my last win on the regular tour, so I want to experience the joy of victory once again in the 2027 season."

Following Ma Dasom, Lee Seung-min (21), who was active on the Dream Tour during the 2026 season, took second place by one stroke with a total score of 18-under-par 270. Kim Na-young (23, Medihill), who cut seven strokes in the final round, placed third with 17-under-par 271. Jeong Seul-gi (31) and Hwang Yu-na (23, Lijuran) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Hong Ji-won (26, Yojin Construction Industry), with two career wins, placed seventh; Hwang A-reum (39), who has five career wins on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, placed eighth; and Song Ga-eun (26), a former 2021 season Rookie of the Year, recorded 16th place, all securing entry to the 2027 regular tour.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original