One day before the Doosan Match Play group draw ceremony, Bang Shin-sil clutched her head after picking Kim Min-sol's name as her first opponent. Bang was selecting three competitors from the top 16 players on last year's prize money list to share her group. She then drew Moon Jeong-min and Kim Ji-soo, both on recent hot streaks, and shut her eyes tightly. Bang herself realized the "group of death" had just been born.
On the first day of group stage play at Ladena Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Thursday, Bang squared off against Kim Ji-soo, with whom she had tied for fourth place at last week's NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship. Bang was badly shaken on the front nine, losing three holes.
But Bang's counterattack began on the back nine. She clawed back two holes through the 13th, narrowing the margin to one hole. The momentum flipped entirely on the par-4 14th. With Kim Ji-soo setting up a birdie chance from 2.5 meters, Bang holed an 11-meter chip-in birdie. Caught off guard, Kim missed her birdie putt, and the match was back to square one. Bang then captured a birdie on the par-4 17th to seal a one-hole victory. It was the day's best comeback drama.
In contrast, star rookie Kim Min-sol, who sits second on this year's prize money list and Player of the Year points, never led against Moon Jeong-min and lost by three holes, becoming the biggest casualty of the day's upset. On the second day of group play, Bang and Moon, each with one win, will face off, while Kim Min-sol will target her first win against Kim Ji-soo. If Kim Min-sol fails to beat Kim Ji-soo, she will be eliminated from Round of 16 contention regardless of the third-day results.
Lee Chae-eun II and Kim Woo-jung, as well as Kim Min-sun VII and Ahn Ji-hyun, played to draws.
Last year's champion Lee Ye-won and 2024 Match Queen Park Hyun-kyung cruised to wins, each claiming one victory.
Lee defeated Lee Se-hee in a one-sided match, leading by five holes with four holes remaining. Park beat Jung So-yi decisively, leading by four holes with two to play. Yu Hyun-jo, who topped last year's Player of the Year and scoring average rankings, also picked up a win against Cho Hye-rim, leading by five holes with three remaining.
Other players who picked up one win included Choi Jeong-won, who defeated Ko Ji-won, currently third in prize money and Player of the Year points, as well as Park Ju-young, Cho A-yeon, Kim Min-ju, Kim Si-hyun, Choi Ga-bin, Kim Jae-hee, Hyun Se-rin, Choi Eun-woo, Yang Hyo-jin, Bae So-hyun, Shin Da-in, Ko Ji-woo, Choi Ye-rim, Ji Han-sol, Kang Ga-yul, Ahn Song-yi, Song Eun-a, Noh Seung-hee, Lee Seung-yeon, Yu Seo-yeon II, Ma Da-som, Park Kyeol, Hong Jung-min, and Choi Min-kyung.
