Team Bridgestone had plenty to celebrate at the KLPGA Tour's KG Ladies Open on Sunday at Turning Point Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, as Shin Da-in claimed the title and several of the team's players finished in the top 10.
Shin sealed back-to-back KG Ladies titles with a final-round burst of five consecutive birdies, finishing with nine birdies overall for a 17-under-par total of 271. Entering the final round tied for the lead, she parred the first two holes before reeling off birdies on holes 3 through 7 to take sole possession of first place.
Her composure under pressure proved equally impressive. After parring the par-4 8th, Shin ran into her first trouble at the par-5 9th — the last hole of the front nine — but limited the damage to a bogey and made no further mistakes. She held the top spot despite a birdie charge from playing partners Park Hye-jun and Yoo A-hyun and unpredictable weather throughout the round.
"I practiced my wedge shots and putting a great deal," Shin said. "Switching to the Bridgestone Golf BX driver this year added about 15 meters to my distance compared to last year. The support from fans and my agency gave me a huge boost." The BX driver uses a technology called "Slipless Bite Milling," designed to maintain low-spin distance even in wet or adverse conditions.
Team Bridgestone noted that four of the tournament's top-10 finishers — including champion Shin, title contender Yoo A-hyun, eagle-maker Ahn Jae-hee and Ji Han-sol — are under full-line equipment contracts with Bridgestone Golf, covering everything from drivers to balls.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
