USA on the 7th (Korea time) with excellent performance and acquired seeds to participate in most of the LPGA Tour next year.

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Lee, who had high expectations for her acceptance as the top contender by leading through the fifth round, lost one shot in the final sixth round, and finished the tournament tied for second (26-under 404). Following Annarin in 2021 and Yoo Hae-ran last year, Korean golfers' acceptance as the top contender in the Q Series failed for the third consecutive year. However, Lee has been at the top of the list for six days, confirming her competitive edge in next year's LPGA Tour.

Sung Yu-jin also secured a full seed to participate in almost all LPGA Tour events next year after staying in the top ranks for six days. Sung reduced her pars by two with four birdies and two bogeys in the final round, and tied for seventh with a total of 19-under 411. Im Jin-hee (13-under 417), who tied for 17th, also succeeded in advancing to the LPGA Tour next year.

Lee So-mi, Sung Yu-jin, and Im Jin-hee were among the top players in the KLPGA tour. Lee So-mi has won five games overall in Korea, although she has not won a title this year, while Sung Yu-jin has garnered two wins this season. Im has grabbed four wins this year alone to become a "multiple winner," and was ranked the highest among the players who participated in the event at the 40th place in the world.

Due to the aftermath of COVID-19 and the qualitative growth of the KLPGA tour, Korean players in recent years have tended not to challenge themselves to the next level. Some expressed a sense of crisis as Korean players in the LPGA tour were sluggish for a while and generational changes were not smooth. However, as three of Korea's top players advance to the LPGA tour, the LPGA tour will gain more momentum next year. It is also possible to imagine Korean players competing for the Rookie of the Year award.

After the tournament, Lee So-mi vowed, "I was disappointed at the end (of missing the senior pass), but I will try to repay the LPGA Tour with a good performance next year."

The Q Series is called the "seed match" of the LPGA Tour. About 100 players who have no full seed will participate in the "Death Race" through 108 holes for six days. Top 20 players will be given a full seed to participate in almost any LPGA Tour event, and those ranking 21st to 45th will receive conditional tickets to participate and secondary tour seeds. A player who ranks within the world's top 75 can advance directly to the final match of the Q Series, but those who do not have to participate in the preliminary match will have to play in the preliminary match first. Sung Yoo-jin, who was outside the world's 75th, took part in the final match of the Q School Stage 2 in October, ranking fourth. It is not an easy choice for Sung, who had a stable seed in the KLPGA tour. However, she took part in the preliminary match because she had a spirit of challenge first.

Sung Yu-jin, who contacted Sung before boarding the plane to return to Korea, said, "I put more importance on my dream than stability. My dream was to play on the LPGA Tour at least once during my career. I am happy just to achieve this dream and feel that I will continue to enjoy my career," Sung said. "Of course, I thought I would be embarrassed if I failed in the Q-series, but I thought I would regret it later if I didn't try it now." Sung said, "It's not that I'm ashamed to fail, it's that I'm ashamed not to challenge myself," so I encouraged myself.

Im Jin-hee, who announced her entry to the LPGA Tour at the peak of her career after winning multiple titles this year, said, "It's my choice to become a golfer for a long time," adding, "I want to challenge myself to become No. 1 in the world by passing the LPGA Tour Q-Series and performing in the U.S. It's been two weeks since I came to the U.S. for this tournament. "It's so difficult mentally and physically," Lee said. "I didn't win the rookie award in Korea, but I will challenge the rookie award in the LPGA Tour." This is why I'm looking forward to seeing rookie players who "head to the ground" for their dreams without weighing back and forth.

 

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