South Korean Pro’s One-Word Winning Mantra Goes in Vain as 25YO American Sweeps Off $315K Title From Under Her Feet

In a tournament dominated by the leading LPGA stars, like Lilia Vu, Angel Yin, Ruoning Yin, Maja Stark, and Rose Zhang, one South Korean pro, after the penultimate round, on the final day at Qizhong Garden Golf Club, the 24-year-old golfer was jousting with World No. 1 Lilia Vu for the $315,000 prize.

How does it feel to go up against the world no. 1? What’s her strategy for winning? Faced with these questions, the young golfer had only one answer: “Relax”. However, fate would have it otherwise, as a 25-year-old American golfer came from behind to snatch the title from her grasp.

South Korean pro’s mantra for success 

For Hye-Jin Choi, this was a watershed moment in her career. After turning pro in 2017, the 24-year-old South Korean golfer was eyeing her maiden LPGA Tour win. Tied for the first spot on the leaderboard, the golfer found herself going up against world No. 1 Lilia Vu.

Vu, on the other hand, was eying her fourth LPGA Tour victory. Needless to say, after her Solheim Cup defeat, the golfer was hungrier than ever to savor the sweet taste of success in Shanghai. But the current world no. 32 appeared unfazed.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the final day, Hye-Jin revealed she tried to relax, and that made all the difference. “I tried to more relax and then got a better result.” For her, this was the main takeaway from the penultimate round at the Buick Shanghai LPGA. a point that she wants to carry forward to her next tournament as well.

Asked how she would like to prepare for the BMW Ladies Championship, the South Korean pro said she wanted to relax. “Well, I would say the one thing that (I) would be look (looking to) relax.” However, as Angela Yin came from behind to win the tournament and Hye-Jin ended up sliding to the third position, it remains to be seen if the South Korean youngster sticks to her mantra.

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Angel Yin sweeps her first LPGA Tour title

As expected, it was a two-way battle between Lilia Vu and Angel Yin on the final day of the Buick LPGA Shanghai. Yin came from the third position to hamper her Solheim Cup teammate’s $315K dream.

Both stars were tied at 14 under 274 after the final round, forcing a playoff. The 25-year-old got the better of Vu when she cupped her birdie putt at the 18th hole. The three-time LPGA tour winner narrowly missed her 20-foot birdie, throwing away her chance to claim the title.

On the other hand, Hye-Jin finished at No. 3, tying with four other golfers.  Now, whether she changes her strategy after blowing her final-day lead remains to be seen in the next tournament.

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