Yuseong, Korea: Lee Hyo-song upstaged a strong field to claim a notable victory in the 46th edition of the Korean Women’s Amateur Championship.
Lee was awarded the KangMinKoo Cup after defeating world number eight Lim Ji-yoo in a play-off after the pair had tied on 15-under-par 273 at Yuseong Country Club.
The victory enabled Lee to soar 182 positions to a new World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) best of 215th.
Lim strengthens her status as Korea’s second highest ranked female amateur at world number eight, behind only Hwang You-min. Third in the WAGR standings, Hwang did not play in the Korean Women’s Amateur Championship.
Bang Shin-sil, a member of the Korean team at the Queen Sirikit Cup in Singapore in May and a top-10 finisher in this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, claimed sixth spot.
Another promising Korean making waves in the WAGR is Kang Min-ji.
Kang broke into the top-100 for the first time after surviving a four-hole play-off to win the Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship at TPC Sugarloaf.
Kang continued her 2022 hot streak by defeating American Kate Owens at the fourth extra hole after they had finished all square on five-under 211 after 54 holes.
Kang pushes 13 spots up the table to 100th, while Owens rises 114 positions to 1,630th.
For Kang, it was her fifth victory in seven WAGR-counting events this year. Additionally, she tied for ninth against the professionals in last month’s Texas Women’s Open.
Meanwhile, Kohei Okada is now a men’s top-100 player after winning the Japan Amateur Championship.
Okada got better as the championship progressed. He opened with a 71 before adding rounds of 68, 67 and 67 for a 274 tally and a two-shot victory. He jumps 295 places to 95th.
His Japanese compatriot Kosuke Suzuki advances 12 positions to 17th courtesy of an 11th place finish at Hiroshima Country Club.
