Bang Shin-sil, 22, of KB Financial Group, one of the longest hitters on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, has taken the first step toward her maiden "Match Queen" title.
Bang defeated Kim Min-sol, the leader in the rookie of the year race, 3 and 2 in the third group-stage match of the KLPGA Tour's Doosan Match Play (total prize money of 1 billion won) held Wednesday at Ladena Golf Club (par 72) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Having previously beaten Kim Ji-soo and Moon Jeong-min for two consecutive wins, Bang secured her advance to the Round of 16 with three straight victories in the group stage. It is her first time reaching the Round of 16 in this tournament since her debut. Her Round-of-16 opponent will be Shin Da-in, who advanced after defeating 2024 champion Park Hyun-kyung in a playoff.
This is the only match-play tournament on the KLPGA Tour. Sixty-four players compete in groups of four, playing three group-stage matches, with the top player in each group advancing to the Round of 16. The champion is then determined through a single-elimination tournament held over two days on the 16th and 17th.
Bang has won five tournaments in her career but has yet to claim a match-play title. She has competed in three match-play tournaments, with her best result being a tie for 17th in the 2023 edition. In this tournament, Bang is aiming for both her first win of the season and her first Match Queen title.
Starting from the 1st hole (par 4), Bang fell behind after Kim Min-sol made birdie to win the opening hole. The early momentum could have slipped away, but Bang remained composed in the face of adversity. She turned the tide by winning three consecutive holes from the 2nd (par 5) through the 4th (par 4).
She gave up the 6th hole (par 5) after a bogey to Kim, who made par, but regained momentum by winning the 12th (par 5) and 15th holes (par 4). Holding a three-hole lead at the 16th (par 3), Bang made par to close out the match against Kim and punch her ticket to the knockout round.
"I'm thrilled to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time, and it still feels surreal," Bang said after the match. "Honestly, I started this tournament thinking, 'Let me just try to make it to the Round of 16 once.' Reaching the tournament after three wins against strong opponents makes it all the more meaningful. Having come this far, I want to give it my all to the end."
Hong Jeong-min and Noh Seung-hee, ranked first and second on the 2025 season prize money list, also advanced to the Round of 16. Hong tied with Kim Min-byeol in her third group-stage match. With two wins and a draw, Hong topped her group to advance, edging out Patcharajutar Kongkraphan of Thailand, who finished 2-1. Hong will face Kim Si-hyun, who advanced from Group 16 with two wins and a draw, in the Round of 16.
Noh secured her advance by recording a one-hole victory over Park Bo-gyeom for her third win of the group stage. In the Round of 16, Noh will face rookie Yang Hyo-jin in a bid to reach the next round.
Park Gyeol secured her Round-of-16 berth by defeating 2025 season Player of the Year contender Yoo Hyun-jo in a playoff. It marks Park's first Round-of-16 appearance in the match-play event in 10 years, since 2016. Park's Round-of-16 opponent will be Choi Ga-bin, who is in her second year on tour.
Veteran An Song-yi, competing in her 415th career tournament, also joined the Round of 16 with three straight wins and will compete against Hong Jin-young for a quarterfinal ticket. Yoo Seo-yeon will face Choi Eun-woo, while Cho Ah-yeon will play Choi Ye-rim.
Defending champion Lee Ye-won and 2024 winner Park Hyun-kyung, both strong performers in match-play events, failed to advance after being upset by Lee Chae-eun and Shin Da-in, respectively. Both players had taken commanding positions by winning their first two group-stage matches but suffered unexpected defeats and bowed out.
