It was quite the debut victory for South Korean rookie golfer Lee Jeong-eun on Sunday,... as the first trophy going in her cabinet is the one they all wanted to win: the L-P-G-A U.S. Women's Open.
Our Won Jung-hwan reports.
Twenty-three-year-old South Korean rookie Lee Jeong-eun won the oldest major championship in women's golf on Sunday at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina,… becoming the 19th player in history to win their first LPGA title at the U.S. Open.
Lee finished at six-under 278 to beat three golfers, including fellow South Korean Ryu So-yeon, by two strokes and take home the 1 million U.S. dollar prize money,… the largest winner's check in the tournament history.
She also received a free pass to compete at the U.S. Open for the next 10 years.
Lee is the 10th woman from South Korea to win the championship since Pak Se-ri's victory in 1998 inspired a whole generation to follow in her footsteps.
And South Korea is now seen as a powerhouse in women's golf.
Just before the U.S. Open,... fellow South Korean Ko Jin-young grabbed first major championship at the ANA Inspiration in April.
And with this latest win by Lee, South Koreans have a combined seven victories in 13 tournaments so far this season.
While the rookie's win might have come as a surprise for most people,... it was somewhat expected back home.
Before taking her talent to the U.S. circuit for this year,... Lee has dominated the South Korean tour for the past couple of years,... preparing herself to beat the world's best, just like she did on Sunday.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
