2023 SeoulSisters Awards (2 of 5): Clutch Performance, Disappointment, Most Dominating, Fashions

Posted by: happyfan08 | January 4, 2024

2023 SeoulSisters Awards (2 of 5): Clutch Performance, Disappointment, Most Dominating, Fashions

Clutch Performance of the Year

And the winner is: Korean Team, Asian Games

The Asian Games is a quadrennial event modeled after the Olympic Games, but only featuring teams from Asian countries. This year the event took place in Hangzhou, China, for two weeks starting in late September. Like at the Olympics, countries send golf teams to the event, but unlike the Olympics, there are both individual and team medals awarded. Each country fielded teams of three players, with the top two scores each day counting towards the team total.

The South Korean women’s golf team at the Asian Games. (L to R): Min Sol Kim, Ji Yoo Lim, Hyun Jo Yoo.

In the past, the golf competition has been amateurs only, which has allowed some future superstars to shine. In 2002, it was soon-to-be Japanese legend Ai Miyazato who won the gold, while four years later, eventual world #1 So Yeon Ryu got the gold as a 16 year old.

However, in 2023, they decided for the first time to allow pros to compete. The home Chinese sent their top three professionals from the LPGA, including (at the time) world #2 Ruoning Yin. On the men’s side, several top PGA pros turned up to compete for Korea; for them, the prize was huge. If the men’s squad won gold, they would all be exempted from two years of military service, which is otherwise mandatory for all Korean men. With that motivation, the Korean men did in fact win the gold and the exemption, meaning that PGA stars Sung Jae Im and Si Woo Kim will not be required to do military service.

The women have no such impetus to compete, though, so the Korean Golf Association was less successful recruiting pros for the women’s team. Indeed, none of the pros who were asked on either the KLPGA or LPGA decided to go. So, the Korean squad was one of the few that had three teenage amateurs on it. Those amateurs were Min Sol Kim, Hyun Jo Yoo and Ji Yoo Lim. They faced a huge challenge to even get on the podium for either the team or individual competitions, as many of the remaining teams had at least one top-tier pro.

As if that weren’t enough, the Chinese were ‘very reluctant’ (according to a news article) to allow other teams access to the golf venue before the event, meaning they had an additional advantage of knowing the course better than their rivals. They weren’t taking any chances, were they? Anyways, it didn’t get any easier for the Koreans. There was a cut after two rounds, and one of their team members, Jiyoo Lim, missed it. That meant that the other two would have their scores count for the next two rounds, good or bad. There was no margin for error.

After three rounds, India’s LPGA pro Aditi Ashok took a seven-shot lead in the individual race, with Min Sol Kim 12 back at 10 under and Hyun Jo Yoo a shot behind her. There were just enough people ahead of them that it would take some kind of miracle to get an individual medal; the top three were all pros. Meanwhile, the Koreans were in the top five in team standings, but again would require some kind of special golf to medal there.

But everything went topsy turvy in the final round. Ashok, who looked unstoppable the first three days, shot a 77 and was caught by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol for gold. Thanks to her great day, Thailand also grabbed the gold in the team event.

But the Koreans were uber clutch on the final day and amazingly medaled in both events. The individual bronze was captured by Hyun Jo Yoo, who followed her third day 66 with a 65 on the final day. She was the only amateur on the podium in the individual standings. She and Min Sol Kim also vaulted into second to grab the silver in the team competition, the only team in the top five without a pro on board. They finished ahead of the all-pro Chinese squad by four shots. And keep in mind, they only had two players still in the event, since Lim had missed the cut. Fantastic clutch performance by the teenagers!

Hyun Jo Yoo was the only amateur to win a medal in the individual competition

Other nominees: Jin Young Ko over Minjee Lee, Founders Cup

See Best Korean Confrontation for more details.

Biggest Disappointment

And the “Winner” is: South Korea at the International Crown

The last time the International Crown was contested, South Korea won the event in front of their home country fans. This was in 2018, and they were set to defend their title in 2022. But due to scheduling issues, the event did not actually happen until 2023. It took place in San Francisco, and the squad looked formidable on paper: Jin Young Ko, Hyo Joo Kim, In Gee Chun and Hye Jin Choi (Min Ji Park qualified but bowed out, allowing Choi to play).

But there were problems with this team and the course setup that was chosen this year. To wit: Korea was the shortest team off the tee, and the course really benefited long hitters. They also ended up in a bracket with strong teams Japan and Thailand, and even the final team in the bracket, Australia, had some great players, led by Major winner Minjee Lee.

Korea played Australia first, and though in years past this had been one of the easier teams to beat, this time the Sisters lost both matches. It was probably the worst thing that could have happened to them and made it very difficult for them to even get out of the preliminary bracket, let alone win the whole Cup. Alas, in the second round they played Thailand, who had three bombers, and once again were blanked. They now faced the prospect of not even winning a point, which would have been a thorough humiliation for the defending champions.

Fortunately, in their third round match it was Korea’s turn to sweep, and they won both matches against Japan, the other shortest team in the competition. But for the first time in the event’s history, Korea was unable to get into the final four.

(L to R): In Gee Chun, Hye Jin Choi, Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim

Other nominees: Jin Young Ko loses two playoffs.

Before this season, Jin Young Ko had a perfect record in playoffs on the LPGA. That came to an end in 2023. Jin Young came to the Canadian Women’s Open — now called the CPKC Women’s Open — having won two events in 2023, one in a playoff. She played well and put herself into the hunt on Sunday, where she uncharacteristically made several mistakes when she had a chance to lock up the win. Megan Khang started the final day with a five-shot lead, but Ko caught her by the turn. But on the par 5 11^th hole, Ko hit a perfect drive, then a terrible approach that wound up in the woods under a log. Had she just made a birdie on that hole, or even a par, she would have had the title. Khang rallied to a three-shot lead, but Ko fought back. But she again struggled on the 18^th hole, needing to make an 8-foot par save to force a playoff.

OK, it had been tough, but she had made up five shots on Khang and had never lost a playoff, right? So, this should have played into her hands. But no, she hit a terrible drive on the playoff hole and allowed Khang to win with a par, a no-no when facing a player who had never won an event before. It was the first time Jin Young lost a playoff on the LPGA.

A few months later, Ko played in an LET event in Hong Kong. She got off to a great start, taking the first-round lead with a 65. She shot a 70 in round 2 and was tied for the lead with China’s Xi Yu Lin. Things looked good for a title for Jin Young.

But the third round was canceled due to terrible weather, and the two of them had to play a playoff to determine the winner. Alas, the only hole she seemed to have trouble on all week was the 18^th, the one where the playoff occurred. Still, she played all right. On the second playoff hole, however, Lin sank a ridiculous long putt for birdie to claim the title. It was perhaps not as sour a loss as the one to Khang, but she did have chances to put the event away in the second round and avoid a playoff. Alas, two late bogies cost her the outright lead and led to the playoff she would lose.

Most Dominating Performance

And the Winner is: Hyo Song Lee, Korean Women’s Amateur

For the past year or so, the Korean amateur that has seemed like the next superstar has been Min Sol Kim. Just 16, she was a pivotal part in several Korean teams that won medals in 2023. But coming like a freight train has been an even younger star who surprised the country by winning the 2022 Korea Women’s Amateur: Hyo Song Lee. Lee was just 14 when she achieved that, and as a 15-year old in 2023, she successfully defended her title at that event. Boy, did she! Entering the final round as one of the leaders, she shot a ridiculous final round 62 to blitz the field. Her score broke the all-time record for lowest round in the Amateur, previously held by current KLPGA player Seo Yeon Kwon (63). Her 19 under total was three shots better than the previous record total, held by Hae Ran Ryu. The next player was 8 shots behind her; she crushed Min Sol Kim by 10 shots.

Since her elementary school days, Lee has had the nickname ‘The Second Inbee Park’. If she keeps playing like this, people may one day be comparing future stars to Hyo Song Lee!

Most Fashionable

Here is a collection of some of the many interesting outfits worn on the KLPGA in 2023. I could probably make this three times bigger, but for the sake of our sanity, I kept it brief and chose some of the more offbeat and striking outfits from the season past.

Ayean Cho