Park Sung-hyun to Compete in Korean Tournament After One Month: "It's Important to Play Well Wherever I Am"

Park Sung-hyun making a putt. [Provided by KLPGA. Reproduction and database prohibited]

"It's important to play well wherever I am," said 'Namdalla' Park Sung-hyun, who is striving for a comeback and is competing in a Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour event for the first time in a month.

After finishing the first round of the KLPGA Tour OK Savings Bank Kwonseun Open at Adonis Country Club (Par 72) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th, Park Sung-hyun stated, "Every game is precious to me, regardless of where it's held."

Park Sung-hyun, who sat out the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour last year due to injury, returned this year but has been struggling, falling to 113th in the CME rankings.

Failure to rank within the top 80 in the CME rankings means she will lose her LPGA Tour card for next year.

In a desperate situation, Park Sung-hyun revived her chances with a tie for 7th place at the LPGA Tour Portland Classic last month.

However, as her performance began to recover, Park Sung-hyun's decision to compete in a KLPGA Tour event instead of an LPGA Tour event has drawn surprise.

Park Sung-hyun explained that she participated this time to fulfill a promise to play in the OK Savings Bank Kwonseun Open last year, which she couldn't keep due to unforeseen circumstances.

"While maintaining my LPGA Tour card is important, unforeseen situations arise," she said. "Whether in the U.S. or Korea, it's crucial for me to perform well right now. Since I'm here, I'll focus on achieving the best possible result in this tournament."

Fans following and cheering for Park Sung-hyun. [Provided by KLPGA. Reproduction and database prohibited]

Park Sung-hyun, who feels energized by the passionate support of fans whenever she comes to Korea, shot a 4-under-par 68 on this day, setting the stage to contend for the championship.

Her play was also solid.

She only missed the green three times and did not record a single bogey.

"Overall, I played well, and my shot-making felt very good," Park Sung-hyun commented, adding, "but I don't feel like I played exceptionally well."

Despite making four birdies on the day, Park Sung-hyun noted that she missed many birdie opportunities and said, "Based on my shots, I should have shot at least 7-under-par."

Park Sung-hyun, who hasn't won since 2019, stated, "It's only the first day, so it's a bit early to talk about rankings. How I play tomorrow is what's important."

Immediately after this tournament, Park Sung-hyun will depart for the U.S. on the 15th. "My immediate priority is to raise my CME ranking as much as possible in the remaining three LPGA Tour events to secure my spot in the Asian swing tournaments," she said.