‘Hole-in-one’ Shin Ji-ae jumps to 3rd in a tie for 3R… ‘Motivation’ overturning the 4th car
Shin Ji-ae (35) jumped to the top in the third round of the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup (total prize money of 120 million yen), the first major tournament of the Japan Women’s Professional Golf 토토사이트(JLPGA) Tour 2023 season, with a hole-in-one.
In the third round of the tournament held at the Ibaraki Golf Club (par 72) in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on the 6th, Shin Ji-ae hit 2-under-par 70 with 1 eagle, 3 birdies and 3 bogeys.
Shin Ji-ae, who recorded a total of 4 over par 220 until the 3rd round, tied for 3rd place, 4 strokes behind her solo leader Yuri Yoshida (23). The day before, she had significantly improved her ranking from a tie for 18th.
Shin Ji-ae, who reached the top of this tournament in 2018, recorded her hole-in-one on the 8th hole (par 3) that day and received great cheers from the galleries. She teed off with a 7-iron from 180 yards to the pin, and the ball bounced twice off the front edge of the green before rolling into the cup. She is the fourth hole-in-one of his JLPGA Tour career. Shin Ji-ae recorded her third hole-in-one in the second round of the Hoken no Madoguchi Ladies in May last year, and achieved a hole-in-one in a year. Shin Ji-ae, who saw that the ball had been holed into a cup, confirmed it and raised her arms in delight, bowing politely to the shouting galleries.
After completing the third round, Ji-ae Shin said on the JLPGA Tour official website, “The 8th hole was a front pin, so I tried to match the distance with a 7-iron. When the shot hit, it felt good, but it flew in the direction of the pin. After the ball landed, the bounce was good, and the course was flat, so I think it rolled well to the cup.”
“In Korea, it is said that good luck comes when you hit a hole-in-one. Many galleries came today, and I want to share my blessings with them.”
Due to the difficult course setting and strong winds, no player recorded an under par in the three rounds. In the third round of the day, only three out of 61 players scored under par, and one of them was Shin Ji-ae.
4 strokes behind the single leader Yoshida. Shin Ji-ae, who has 27 wins on the JLPGA tour, challenges to win by 4 strokes. Shin Ji-ae already has her first win of the season by winning her opening match, the Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament, last March. If she wins the come-from-behind match in the final round on the 7th, she will have 28 victories on the JLPGA tour and 64 victories in her professional career.
Shin Ji-ae said, “Having a hole-in-one is proof that the shot is in good condition. On her final day, she wants to play with a lot of experience,” she said, not hiding her desire to win.
Another Korean player is in the lead and is aiming for a come-from-behind victory. The main character is Hana Lee (21). In the aftermath of Corona 19, he combined the JLPGA Tour in the 2020-21 season and the step-up tour, which is the second part tour, in the aftermath of Corona 19. He played full-time on the JLPGA Tour in the 2022 season and ranked 54th in prize money.
He made the cut eight times in nine events this season, with his best finish being a tie for 17th at the Aksa Ladies Golf Tournament. The highest rankings recorded on the JLPGA Tour are a tie for fourth at the Rakuten Super Ladies in July 2021 and the Daio Paper Elle Air Women’s Open in November 2022.
Lee Ha-na has won 3 wins on the Step-Up Tour, but is a rookie who has yet to win on the JLPGA Tour. Expectations are high whether he will surpass his personal best ranking in this major competition and even win a come-from-behind championship.
Lee So-mi (24), whose main stage is the KLPGA Tour, lost 5 strokes and fell to tied for 8th place (6 over par, 222 strokes). Losing three strokes, he tied for 10th place (7 over par 223 strokes).
Park Min-ji (25), who won the prize money title for the second consecutive year in Korea last year, struggled after losing 5 strokes and stayed tied for 25th place (11 over par, 227 strokes).
Yoshida maintained the lead for two consecutive days with a total of even par 216 even after losing four strokes. He beat Hana, who was in second place, by two strokes. Yoshida is in his third year on the JLPGA tour this year, and has won two wins in 2021, recording two wins in his career.
Meanwhile, the JLPGA tour announced that it was the first time in 11 years since the 2012 Japan Women’s Open that there was no under par after the third round in a 72-hole tournament.