Ma Seo-young wins first KLPGA title in playoff thriller

Beats Seong Yu-jin at Iceberg Open to secure tour card through 2028

Ma Seo-young raises both arms after clinching her first career victory at the final round of the KLPGA Tour Iceberg Golf-Seoul Shinmun Open at H1 Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday. [KLPGA]

Ma Seo-young claimed her first KLPGA Tour victory Sunday in her 83rd career start, winning a two-hole playoff to cap a remarkable turnaround from a player who had been fighting to keep her tour card.

Ma carded a 1-over-par 73 in the final round of the Iceberg Golf-Seoul Shinmun Open at H1 Club (par 72) in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, finishing with a 4-under-par total of 212 to draw level with Seong Yu-jin. She then defeated Seong on the second playoff hole to become the inaugural champion of the newly established event. The purse was 1.5 billion won ($1.11 million), with Ma taking home 270 million won in prize money.

Ma joined the regular tour in 2023 but lost her playing privileges the following year due to poor results. Heading into this week's event, she sat 56th on the season money list — a precarious position for retaining her card for next year — but the victory secured her tour exemption through the 2028 season and vaulted her to 22nd on the money list.

The final round was played in wind and rain, producing a fierce battle at the top of the leaderboard. Ma, who began the day as the sole leader, made birdie at the first hole but stumbled with consecutive bogeys at the second and third. She recovered with a birdie at the fourth, only to drop another shot at the fifth, leaving her 1 over through five holes. She then steadied herself, making 13 consecutive pars from the sixth through the 18th to set up the playoff.

Kim Min-ju briefly seized the lead with back-to-back birdies at the first and second holes but fell back after a double bogey at the par-3 eighth. Lee Ye-won and Seong Yu-jin also entered contention. Seong surged ahead by two strokes with a 5.5-meter birdie putt at the par-3 14th, but gave it back with a three-putt bogey at the par-4 15th and another bogey at the par-5 16th, allowing Ma to pull level.

Both players made par at the par-4 18th in the first playoff hole. In the second, Ma hit her approach to within 8.4 meters and two-putted for par. Seong, however, flew the green with her second shot, left her chip long and missed a 5.2-meter par putt to finish with a bogey, handing Ma the title.

Ma Seo-young plays an iron shot at the third hole during the final round of the KLPGA Tour Iceberg Golf-Seoul Shinmun Open at H1 Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday. [KLPGA]

Playing in a final-round pairing and a playoff for the first time in her career, Ma held her nerve throughout. "I practiced as hard as anyone, but I kept failing to win, so I thought I just didn't have a talent for golf," she said after the round. "I may not have natural talent, but I'm confident in my ability to hang in there until the very end."

Ma credited a winter strength-training program for her improved play this season. "I built up my muscle strength through weight training last winter, and my driving distance increased significantly," she said. "That let me attack greens with shorter clubs, which helped my scores."

She said the victory felt like a leap forward. "I think this win has made me grow about 10 levels," she said, adding that she expected to perform even better under pressure going forward. Looking ahead to the two remaining events this season, she said, "I think I can just enjoy the rest of the tournaments without any worries. I'd love to win one more time."

Lee Ye-won and Kim Si-hyun finished tied for third at 3-under-par 213, while Kim Min-sol, Lee Chae-eun and Kim Min-ju shared fifth place at 2-under-par 214.

LPGA Tour player Ryu Hae-ran finished tied for 42nd at 6-over-par 222, while Yun I-na was limited to a tie for 53rd at 9-over-par 225.

yjc@heraldcorp.com