LPGA rookie Hwang Yu-min created two memorable moments in her debut at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions—one delightful, one heartbreaking.
First came her debut "shot eagle." On the 18th hole (par-4) of the second round, her second shot from approximately 110 yards went straight into the hole—a "slam dunk shot" that bounced once on the green before disappearing into the cup in an instant.
The heartbreaking moment was a double par on a par-3 hole that unfolded over two days. During the third round, cold winds battered the course as Hwang faced trouble from her tee shot on the 17th hole (par-3). Though the hole was set at a short 138 yards, strong headwinds pushed her tee shot right, landing outside the green. Her chip shot stopped 5 meters from the hole. The real problem came with her par putt. The ball drifted slightly right of the hole and was expected to stop about 1 meter past, but strong winds sent it rolling down the right slope. The ball appeared to stop at the 3-meter mark. Hwang rushed to mark it, but the ball began moving again down the slope, eventually rolling off the green into the rough. The incident was broadcast live, and officials ultimately decided to suspend play.
Hwang resumed the 17th hole the following day but couldn't avoid a triple bogey. With the fourth round canceled, she finished in a disappointing tied-fifth place.
On February 27, Hwang delivered another impressive shot in the second round of the HSBC Women's World Championship—the third LPGA Tour event of the season—at Sentosa Golf Club's Tanjong Course (par-72) in Singapore.
It was her second career eagle. Once again, it came on a par-4, converting a fairway shot rather than a putt. She has yet to eagle a par-5 but has now eagled par-4s twice.
Starting strong with a birdie on the 1st hole (par-4), Hwang cut two strokes at once on the 3rd hole (par-4) with an eagle. The 3rd hole is notoriously difficult, yielding more bogeys than birdies.
From over 150 yards out, Hwang hit her second shot with no expectation of an eagle. But the ball landed on the green, bounced several times, and began rolling slowly. It appeared to stop 3 meters left of the pin. Then, turning nearly 90 degrees right, the ball picked up speed down the slope and finally dropped into the hole. It took nearly 7 seconds from landing to disappearing—a "slow shot eagle." Hwang herself seemed in disbelief, hesitating to raise her arms, ultimately offering only a slight smile without celebration.
After that shot eagle, her bogey-free round turned into a roller coaster. She made consecutive bogeys on the 7th (par-3) and 8th (par-5) holes, birdied the 9th (par-4), then recorded three straight bogeys from the 10th through 12th holes.
However, Hwang recovered with a birdie on the 14th (par-4) and added another on the 18th (par-4), finishing the second round at 1-under 71. Her position dropped from tied-8th (3-under 69) to tied-19th (4-under 140).
Ryu Hae-ran shot 4-under 68 to lead Korean players at tied-2nd (8-under 136). Kim Hyo-joo and Kim Sei-young, both shooting 4-under, reached the halfway point tied for 11th (5-under 139).
Choi Hye-jin climbed to tied-19th (4-under 140) after a 3-under round. Ko Jin-young dropped two strokes and finished tied-33rd (1-under 143) alongside Kim A-lim. Yun I-na shot even-par 72 and enters moving day tied-48th (1-over 145).
Atop the leaderboard at 9-under 135 sits Korean-American Auston Kim (USA). World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand) shot 2-under and sits tied-33rd (1-under 143).