SINGAPORE — "It's liberating but challenging. I asked (Kim) Hyo-joo for approach shot advice, and thanks to her, I saved a lot of strokes with my short game today."
Hwang Yu-min, 23, who successfully transitioned to the LPGA Tour, spoke with Seoul Economic Daily at Sentosa Golf Club after the first round of the HSBC Women's World Championship (total purse $3 million) on the 26th. "I'm like a fresh hire at a new job right now, so I'm just having fun, but adapting is definitely not easy," she said.
Hwang debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2023 and accumulated three career wins. Last October, she unexpectedly won the LPGA Tour's Lotte Championship as an invited player, earning direct entry to the American tour. In her official debut at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January, she tied for fifth place in an impressive first showing. She proved through results that she can compete on the new stage.
Hwang finished the first round at 3-under par in a tie for eighth place, three strokes behind the leader. Her fairway hit rate was only 50% (7/14), indicating poor tee shot accuracy, and her greens in regulation of 72.2% (13/18) was not particularly sharp. However, her stable short game saved the day.
"There are many more situations requiring various shots compared to Korea, and the grass types are really diverse," she said. "After the practice round for this tournament, I found it so difficult that I asked Hyo-joo for a lot of approach advice. Thanks to her, I recovered from my mistakes today through the short game."
At the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, Hwang lifted the trophy after a title battle with Kim Hyo-joo, a veteran with seven LPGA Tour wins. Kim has long been Hwang's role model.
The HSBC Women's World Championship has been a dominant stage for Korean players. From 2015 through last year, Korean players won seven of the ten tournaments held. Park Sung-hyun (2019), Kim Hyo-joo (2021), and Ko Jin-young (2022, 2023) achieved four consecutive Korean victories. The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19. Looking at the tournament's entire history, Korean players have won eight of 17 events held from 2008 through last year—nearly half. This is why expectations are high for Hwang, who recorded a top-5 finish in her official debut.
"I know Korean players have won this tournament many times, but the course is so difficult that I don't have big ambitions. I'm just trying to focus as much as possible on every shot," Hwang said. "The fairways aren't wide, and reaching par-5 greens in two isn't easy either. Even if you go for the green in two, you can easily lose strokes without extremely precise shots. You can't let your guard down on any hole."
She added, "I think concentration to deliver the best play in whatever situation arises is the most important thing."
During her domestic tour days, Hwang drank powdered milk formula to maintain her weight, and she continues the routine on the LPGA Tour. "I brought two weeks' worth of formula from Korea for this week and next week's China event. I make packets of six scoops each—one packet per day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday when there's no tournament, and two packets per day during tournament days from Thursday through Sunday," she said. "Starting mid-March, there are continuous events in the U.S., and I'm already worried about how to manage my formula supply," she added with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Ryu Hae-ran, with three career wins, shot 4-under par with five birdies and one bogey to tie for third place. Ko Jin-young tied for eighth at 3-under par. Kim Hyo-joo, Choi Hye-jin, and Kim Sei-young tied for 18th at 1-under par. Yoon Yi-na finished tied for 36th at 1-over par.
