Kitsuya Sayaka (21, Japan) won the ‘KLPGA 2023 Baekje CC-Samdaein Red Ginseng’ held at Sabi (OUT) and Hanseong (IN) courses at Baekje Country Club (par 72, 6258 yards) in Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do In the first round of the Ball Jump Tour (total prize money of 30 million won, championship prize of 4.5 million won), he won the first KLPGA tour appearance.
Sayaka Kitsuya tied 4 birdies and 3 bogeys and finished the first round in a tie for 3rd place by 1 shot with an intermediate total of 1 under par 71. In the final round, he cut out 5 birdies and 3 bogeys, reduced 2 strokes, and finished the game with a final total of 3 under par 141 strokes (71-70), engraving his name at the top of the leaderboard.먹튀검증
On the 12th at the KLPGA, Sayaka Kitsuya recalled the final round, saying, “I thought the flow was good as I caught a birdie on the 2nd hole, but I decided to focus more by recording a bogie on the next hole.” My shot and putt went well, and the flow got better. He kept repeating that he could win, and I am really happy that he won like this.”
When asked what motivated her to participate in the KLPGA Tour, Sayaka Kitsuya said, “I had an acquaintance in Korea who came over to Korea last winter to play golf. I grew up watching Korean players win in Japan and the United States, so I was interested in the Korean tour and wanted to play,” he said. I knew that the rules had been changed so that I could do it, so I came up with a challenge.”
In 2022, in order to lower the barriers for foreign players to enter the domestic tour, KLPGA opened the ‘Associate Member Tournament’ and ‘Jump Tour’, which only Korean nationals could participate in, and foreigners’ KLPGA tour rush continues.
The first foreigner to enter the regular tour through the same process as domestic players who go through the jump tour and dream tour through the changed rules is Lee Shuing (20, CJ). Reshuing participated in the ‘Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open’, the opening match of the 2023 KLPGA Tour held last week, and showed her potential by tying for 16th place, catching the attention of golf fans.
Sayaka Kitsuya, who took the first step toward joining the KLPGA with this victory, said, “Actually, I was trying to decide whether to go to the pro test in Japan or continue the challenge in Korea after running this jump tour. However, by winning the first game unexpectedly, I hardened my mind,” he said.
In addition, Han Ji-min B (23) and Bae Seo-yeon (23) finished the game with a final total of 2 under par 142 strokes and tied for second place, and Lee Dong-eun (19, SBI Savings Bank) and Kim Ga-hyun D (20), who were active as national representatives in 2022 recorded a final total of 1 under par 143 and was tied for 4th place.
Amateur Jo Ian (19), who took the lead with Han Ji-min B in the first round with a 2 under par 70 strokes and opened up the possibility of winning, lost 2 strokes in the final round and finished the game with a final total of even par 144 strokes (70-74), Park Seo-ryeong. (19), Cho Eun-chae (18), Ko Hyeon-chae (20), and Han Ah-reum (19) had to be satisfied with making a thick joint 6th place group.