Lee Ye-won (22, Mediheal) won again at the '2025 NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship' (total prize money 1 billion won, winner's prize 180 million won). The word 'again' carries ambiguous meaning.
The first refers to winning for two consecutive years. Lee Ye-won is the defending champion who won this tournament last year. Lee has endured the weight of last year's heavy crown.
Another 'again' refers to her pace of already securing her second victory in the seventh tournament of the 2025 KLPGA Tour season. Lee Ye-won won at the 2025 season domestic opener 'Doosan Construction We’ve Championship', which ended on Apr. 6. She became the first to achieve multiple victories.
On the final day of the tournament held at Suwon Country Club (par 72/6,597 yards) on the 11th, Lee earned three birdies without a single bogey, finishing with a total score of 14-under 202 (65-68-69), standing tall at the top of the leaderboard.
With a wire-to-wire victory, not giving up the lead at any point during the three-day tournament, she increased her career KLPGA Tour wins to '8'.
Lee Ye-won created a significant lead with a large stroke difference (leading by 5 strokes with an intermediate total of 11-under par) in the second round, making it expected that she would have a relatively easy path to victory. However, the attacks from pursuers aiming for the lead were quite strong.
The first to strike was Kim Min-byul.
Starting from the first hole to the sixth hole, Kim Min-byul made consecutive birdies, quickly catching up to Lee Ye-won's score. Adding another birdie on the par 5 11th hole, Kim Min-byul faltered and admitted to her fatigue with consecutive bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes.
The second pursuer was Moon Jeong-min.
Moon Jeong-min dramatically reduced her score by 6 strokes, including an eagle, only in the front nine. In the back nine, Moon added two more strokes reduced, but faltered with a bogey on the par 3 16th hole, slowing her chase.
The third strong competitor was Hong Jeong-min, who had won the previous tournament, the 'Chris F&C 47th KLPGA Championship.' Hong Jeong-min's sharp play continued that day, with 8 birdies and no bogeys.
However, despite the fierce threats from her pursuers, Lee Ye-won remained steadfast. The gap of 5 strokes established by the second round was not an easy river to cross.
At just the right moment, Lee added exactly three birdies, each hitting a critical point. The first birdie came on the par 4 6th hole, suppressing Kim Min-byul's momentum. The second birdie on the par 4 15th hole was a decisive blow that stifled the momentum of Moon Jeong-min and Hong Jeong-min. The third birdie, which burst forth on the 18th hole, marked the celebration of her second consecutive championship.
In an interview with the SBS Golf broadcasting team, Lee Ye-won said, “I was a bit flustered when I saw the leaderboard on the 10th tee of the back nine, but I trusted the stroke difference and could play my game until the end.”
When asked about her goals for the season, she remarked, “Last year, I also won this tournament for my second victory, but my finish at the end of the season wasn't good. This year, I want to finish well until the end of the season.”
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