The competition for rookie award has been mixed since the beginning of this season. Yoon Na-na (22) of Solaire struggled in the second LPGA event of this season, while her rival Takeda Rio (22) of Japan took the lead by winning her first victory of this season.
In the final fourth round of the Blue Bay LPGA (total prize money of $2.5 million) held at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Club (par 72) in Hainan, China on the 9th (Korea time), Yoon Na combined two birdies, four bogeys and two double bogeys to make a 6-over 78.
Yoon finished joint 33rd with 290 overall at two-over par. She also tied for 11th place in the previous day, but ended the tournament 22 notches lower.
Yoon dominated the domestic stage by winning three KLPGA titles last season. She then announced her entry into the U.S. After the season, she participated in the qualifying series and ranked eighth to secure a ticket to the LPGA. She was named one of the promising rookies this season.
Early in the season, however, she failed to meet expectations. She lost the Founders Cup, her official LPGA debut match, and lost her pride. Afterwards, she participated in the Ladies European Tour PIF Saudi Ladies International and regained her confidence by ranking fourth alone.
She started her second LPGA event. It started well. She tied for fourth in the first round. She lost one shot in the second round, but posted 2-under 142, finally making it through the cut. She also posted 2-under 70 in the third round, tying for 11th. If she achieves a good result on the last day, she could have jumped into the top 10.
The result was not good. Yoon started off by making bogeys in the first hole (par 4), but lost one stroke each in the third and sixth holes (par 5).
The second half was not good either. She started off with a bogey at the 10th hole (par 4). Yoon Na-na, who had her first birdie on the day at the 12th hole (par 4), seemed to rebound by reducing one stroke at the 16th hole (par 3), but ended up regretting by making double bogeys in succession at the 17th and 18th holes (par 5).
His shots were so shaky that the green accuracy ratio (August 18) was only around 40 percent. He putt as many as 31.
On the other hand, Takeda, her competitor, garnered victory. Takeda, who was the lone lead by two strokes in the third round, swung hard. She reduced three strokes in the first half and added five more birdies in the second half to win the title with perfect performance. 먹튀검증
Takeda, who acquired the LPGA Tour card by winning the Toto Japan Classic in November last year, became the first rookie to report the championship. Takeda is now leading the rookie race.
Above all, his stable performance draws attention. He never missed a cut in the five competitions he participated in this season, and he finished in the top 10 three times. He ranked eighth in the first competition, tied for ninth behind the Honda LPGA Thailand, and won the title.
It is certain that Yoon-na is a strong competitor. Attention is focusing on whether Yoon-na will be able to turn the game around in the rookie race.