South Korean Golfer Claims Victory After Rain-Shortened Tournament.
South Korea’s Park Ji-young emerged victorious at the inaugural Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open, held over the weekend at Tanah Merah Country Club’s Tampines Course. The tournament concluded prematurely, with the third and final round cancelled due to heavy rain, resulting in scores after 36 holes determining the final standings.
Ji-young finished with an impressive score of 11-under-par 133, having shot rounds of 66 and 67, narrowly defeating a trio of competitors—Jung Min Hong, So Young Lee, and Park Hyun Kyung—by just one shot. The weather posed significant challenges, as only 21 of the 67 scheduled players were able to tee off before play was halted at 8:50 am. Given the continued downpour, organizers opted to finalize the tournament based on the 36-hole results.
This victory marks Ji-young’s fifth title on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, and she takes home SGD $198,000 for her achievement.
“I have achieved some come-from-behind victories before, but I’ve never won in a shortened tournament, so this feels really different,” Ji-young reflected. “A win is always satisfying, no matter how it happens. I’m thrilled and proud to be the inaugural winner of the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open. I’ve worked hard to improve my game, and I’m so glad that effort paid off this week.”
Local golfer Shannon Tan also made headlines, finishing as the best-placed amateur in a tie for 53rd with a score of one-under-par 143. As the only one of the seven amateurs to make the cut, Tan rebounded strongly with a second-round score of 67. “This achievement means a lot to me because it’s the first time I’ve made the cut at a professional event,” she shared after receiving her trophy. “I couldn’t have asked for a better venue to accomplish this than our very own national Open.”
The women’s golf scene in Asia was further spotlighted by the concurrent inaugural R&A Women in Golf Forum, which took place alongside the tournament’s opening round on December 9 at Tanah Merah Country Club. Endorsed by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation and the Asia Golf Leaders Forum, the forum focused on the theme “Growing Women’s Golf in Asia,” uniting influential figures from the golf industry, including South Korean golf legend and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Pak Se-ri.
“Hosting The R&A Women in Golf Forum in Asia for the first time is a great pleasure,” remarked Jackie Davidson, director of golf development at the R&A. “The Asia-Pacific region is a powerhouse in women’s professional golf, producing more champions at the highest levels of the game. However, for golf to thrive 50 years from now, we want to see even more women engaging in recreational golf and building successful careers in the industry.”
