Veteran Shin Ji-yae bids to reclaim the title she last won in 2008, 18 years later. [Photo=KLPGA]
Veteran Shin Ji-yae bids to reclaim the title she last won in 2008, 18 years later. [Photo=KLPGA]

The 40th Mercedes-Benz Korea Women's Open, women's golf's national championship, tees off Thursday at Lakewood Country Club's Sangil-Supgil course (par 71, 6,663 yards) in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, with a purse of 1.5 billion won (approximately $970,000).

Veteran Shin Ji-yae is making a grueling back-to-back run, heading straight to the Korea Women's Open after competing in the US Women's Open last week. Shin won this tournament twice before, in 2006 and 2008. Her 2008 victory — held at Taeyoung Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province — came in a playoff against Yu So-yeon played through a thunderstorm.

The tournament's decisive stretch is expected to be holes 13 through 15, a trio organizers have dubbed the "Challenge Trio." The three holes proved to be the toughest test on the same course during the KLPGA Championship, and they are expected to separate the contenders again. How Shin, who lacks the distance of younger players, navigates the Challenge Trio will be one of the most compelling storylines of the week.

The par-4 13th and 14th holes ranked as the course's No. 1 and No. 2 handicap holes, respectively. The 13th demands a precise tee shot onto the fairway. The hole is heavily exposed to wind, and a drive that strays into the rough can set off a domino effect, disrupting shot plans on the holes that follow.

The 14th presents a tricky combination of slopes around the green and a demanding bunker layout. It serves as a psychological threshold: players must protect their score here before facing the pressure of the 15th. A bogey on 14 often tempts players into an overly aggressive approach on 15, raising the risk of a big number.

The 15th has been converted from a par 5 to a par 4. Typically set up at around 540 yards as a par 5, the hole now carries far greater distance pressure as a par 4, requiring players to cover significantly more ground than on a standard par-4 hole to reach the green in regulation.

A large pond cutting across the front of the green makes the 15th even more daunting. Under the old par-5 layout, players could lay up safely off the tee and attack the green with their third shot. Playing it as a par 4, however, forces them to carry the water with a long club to have any chance of hitting the green in regulation.

Korea Golf Association course rater Ahn Hyeong-guk, who oversees the course setup, said bunkers on both sides of the tee-shot landing zone on the 15th — previously a par 5 — could prove to be a significant obstacle. "After the tee shot, players must carry a penalty area 25 meters short of the green, and because that requires a long second shot, it is going to be a very difficult hole," he said. "There are also bunkers covering about 15 percent of the green's perimeter on the right side."

Starting this year, Mercedes-Benz Korea became the tournament's main sponsor and raised the purse to 1.5 billion won. The winner's share has grown to 400 million won — the largest first-place prize in domestic women's golf — and the champion will also receive exemptions into the AIG Women's Open, one of the five major championships in women's golf, and the Japan Women's Open.

Defending champion Lee Dong-eun arrives in good form after competing in the Celltrion Queens Masters last week, where she finished tied for 25th, giving her time to shake off any jet lag. She will look to use her power off the tee to win the title for a second consecutive year.

Seo Gyo-rim, who claimed her first tour victory at the Celltrion Queens Masters last week, will try to win back-to-back tournaments. Also chasing a second win of the season are Park Min-ji, Bang Shin-sil, Yoo Hyun-jo, Lee Ye-won, Kim Min-seon 7, Kim Min-sol, Ko Ji-won, Lim Jin-young and Thailand's Jaravee Boonchant, all of whom have one victory apiece this year. Mercedes-Benz Korea brand ambassadors Park Hyun-kyung and Kim Min-byeol will also be in contention.

SBS Golf will broadcast all four rounds live. The first and second rounds begin at 10 a.m., while the third and fourth rounds start at 11 a.m.

Tickets and tournament information are available through the official ticketing platform UNITIX. Weekday single-day passes are priced at 10,000 won and weekend passes at 20,000 won. A limited run of 50 VIP passes covering rounds one through three is available for 200,000 won each.


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