Monster long hitter Bang Shin-sil, 19, continues to shock the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA).

At the recent NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, Bang produced an incredible amount of distance. Her best shot of the day was a 291-yarder that drew praise from the crowd and the players playing alongside her. Her average distance this season is a whopping 264.6 yards. That’s farther than the season’s distance leader, Kim Soo-ji’s 259 yards, but she hasn’t played enough tournaments to be ranked. Many golfers were interested in the new star who could lead the KLPGA.

Bang has been cruising with results such as a fourth-place finish at the KLPGA Championship in April and a third-place finish at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship. At the Doosan Match Play Championship last week, she won two straight group stage matches but lost in the third round before falling to Hong Jung-min in an extended playoff to reach the round of 16.

[SEOUL, South Korea] Bang Shin-sil tees off on the second hole during the third round of the 2023 Doosan Match Play Championship at Ladena CC in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Monday. (Photo courtesy of the KLPGA)

However, she is not yet a regular on the KLPGA Tour. She was ranked 40th in last year’s seeding, so she can’t play in every event. She can only play sporadically. In total, there are only about 10 KLPGA Tour events she can play on her own this year.

If she wants to guarantee a steady touring career next year, she’ll need to finish as high up the money list as possible every time she plays. Or you need to win a title to ensure a stable seeding. Winning is the most obvious one. One tournament can solve all your problems.

LPGA’s Choi Hye-jin will also compete in the tournament, competing against Bang Shin-sil (Yonhap)

In that sense, the KLPGA Tour E1 Charity 먹튀검증 Open (total prize money of 900 million won) is a great opportunity for Bang, who has improved her game but hasn’t had many opportunities. The tournament will be held at Seongmunan Country Club (Par 72-6522) in Wonju, Gangwon Province, for three days starting May 26. This year’s event, the 11th edition of the tournament, will be headlined by Choi Hye-jin and Yoo So-yeon, both of whom play on the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour. Choi has 10 career wins on the KLPGA Tour, including two as an amateur. She won the grand prize for three consecutive years starting in 2018, and in 2019, she won five times. She moved to the United States in December 2021.

Also in the field is KLPGA Tour money and points leader Park Ji-young, the winner of the last two years in a row, and last year’s winner, Jung Yoon-ji. Kim Min-byul and Hwang Yoo-min, who are currently first and second on the rookie points list, are also in contention. Choi will play in two consecutive KLPGA Tour events before the Lotte Open in the first week of June, while Yoo will be back in front of her Korean fans a month after the Mediheal-Korea Times Championship in April. The event has yet to produce a two-time winner, and Jung will be looking to make it two in a row. Kim Min-byul and Hwang Yoo-min will also be looking for their first rookie victory of the season after finishing first and second in the rookie category.

All eyes will be on Bang Shin-sil this time around [Image courtesy of the KLPGA. Resale and DB prohibited].

The Charity Open is the 10th event on the KLPGA Tour this season, and there has yet to be a single winner. Also, this year, the rise of unknown players has been outrageous. Of the winners of the previous tournaments, Park Ji-young, Lee Jung-min, Lee Ye-won, Lee Ju-mi, Choi Eun-woo, Lee Da-yeon, Park Bo-gyeom, Lim Jin-hee, and Sung Yoo-jin, six of them will try to win their second tournament of the season, except for Lee Da-yeon, Lim Jin-hee, and Sung Yoo-jin.

Among the recommended players for this tournament, Sung Eun Jung is a fan favorite. The 1985-born player, who retired in 2014 and returned to active duty in 2021, will return to regular competition seven months after the Hite Jinro Championship last October.

Meanwhile, Sung Yoo-jin, who won the Doosan Match Play Championship last week, will enter the Lotte Open next week as the defending champion.