Park Min-ji (28, NH Investment & Securities) reached the milestone of 20 career wins on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour at the Sh Suhyup Bank MBN Women's Open on the 31st of last month. After capturing her 19th career win at the Celltrion Queens Masters in June 2024, she had been unable to add to her tally — until she finally completed her 20th win two years later. In a thrilling final-round performance, she fired an 8-under 64 to decisively shake off her stubborn 19-win curse.
Twenty career victories is a feat achieved only by the late Koo Ok-hee and the "Queen" Shin Ji-yae (38).
Park's latest victory carries added significance as it ties the all-time KLPGA Tour wins record. With just one more win, she is likely to hold the solo top spot in this category for a considerable time.
The gap to her pursuers is sizable. As of the 2nd, behind the three co-leaders in career KLPGA Tour wins, Ko Woo-soon ranks fourth (17 wins) and Jang Ha-na fifth (15 wins). Ko retired long ago, and Jang has been mired in an unexplained slump since 2023. Kim Hyo-joo (14 wins), Ko Jin-young (11 wins), Park Sung-hyun (10 wins), Chun In-gee and Choi Hye-jin (9 wins each) play primarily on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, leaving them few opportunities to add trophies. Among the active players competing on the KLPGA Tour, Jang Ha-na has 15 wins, followed by Lee Jeong-min (11 wins), Park Ji-young and Lee Ye-won (10 wins each), Lee Da-yeon (9 wins) and Park Hyun-kyung (8 wins), all steadily building their win counts.
Park's return to the winner's circle is welcome news for the KLPGA Tour as well. With no dominant figure currently in sight, the revival of a star player can serve as a driving force for the tour's popularity. Park, who debuted in 2017, has collected a winner's trophy every year except last year, and in 2022 swept up six wins, lifting her world ranking to as high as No. 12 based on domestic play alone. Her frequent wins earned her the nickname "Min-ji Again."
Going winless for the first time last year proved to be a tonic. At the press conference following this victory, Park admitted, "Honestly, when I looked back at last year, I was lazy with my practice and couldn't say I gave it my all. After the season ended and I wasn't invited to the Player of the Year ceremony, I was afraid I might lose my tour card." She added, "People around me have been saying, 'The fierce determination in Park Min-ji's eyes from her prime is back.' I will not forget the mindset I had while agonizing and steeling myself with that hunger to win, and I will play with focus at every tournament."
For Park, who is writing the history of the KLPGA Tour, constant motivation will be the key to a long career. There is much she can achieve without venturing overseas. Already the all-time career earnings leader (6,803,785,000 won), she will surpass 7 billion won in career earnings while claiming sole possession of the all-time wins record with one more victory. Crossing the 10 billion won mark also appears to be only a matter of time. The cases of Hisako Higuchi and Ayako Okamoto — who built careers primarily on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, amassing 69 and 44 wins respectively to enter the World Golf Hall of Fame — are also worth keeping in mind.
Many fans want to see Park, who said, "Now I want to become a player worthy of my standing and records, a great senior and player who can be a role model and a help to my juniors," continue to anchor and elevate the domestic stage for years to come.
Park will compete in the KLPGA Tour's Celltrion Queens Masters (total purse 1.5 billion won), which begins on the 5th. Like last week's Sh Suhyup Bank tournament, it is a 54-hole, three-round event — and one Park has won four years running from 2021 to 2024. With the purse increased by 300 million won from last year, the winner's prize amounts to 270 million won.
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