She did not intend it to be this way, but Park Sung-hyun, former world No. 1 in women’s golf who has fallen on hard times of late, saved her best round of the year for the last. Park shot a six-under 66 in the final round of the BMW Ladies Championship in Paju, northwest of Seoul, on Sunday. In aggregate scores, it was Park’s best round on the tour since October 2021, when she shot a five-under 66 in the second round of ShopRite LPGA Classic. In relation to par, the last time Park shot at least six-under in a round was August 2019.Sunday’s round pushed Park to tie for 13th at nine-under 279, with contenders still in action at Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club. In a conversation with Yonhap News Agency after the round, Park said this was her final tournament of 2023. Having spent parts of 2017 and 2018 seasons as world No. 1, Park has dropped to No. 274 and isn’t exempt for the remaining LPGA events this season.
Park admitted she had “bittersweet” feelings about ending her season on such a high note. “I’ve gained so much confidence here, and I am bummed out that I won’t get to play again the rest of the season,” Park said. “I’m going to have to try so hard to maintain this feeling next year. “After dominating the Korean tour, collecting 10 titles from 2015 to 2016, Park enjoyed a historic LPGA rookie season in 2017. She won the prestigious U.S. Women’s Open for her maiden title and became the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to sweep up both the Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. Park added three more titles in 2018 and two more in 2019, but a shoulder injury in 2020 derailed what appeared to be a potential Hall of Fame career. Park has been a shell of her former self since, and needed a sponsor’s exemption to get into this week’s field .Park, who’d shot four-under 68 Saturday while battling the flu, said she’s 스포츠토토존 confident about what lies ahead.
