At last weekend's Inca Financial The Heaven Masters on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour, Seo Kyo-rim claimed the title with a final total of 16-under par. She fired 7-under in each of the first and second rounds, then shaved off two more strokes in the final third round. Fans cheered the dazzling birdie show, but within golf circles, the fact that the winner of a three-day event finished at 16-under par has drawn criticism over the course's ability to separate the field.
The comparison point is the previous event, the Mercedes-Benz 40th Korea Women's Open. There, Kim Min-sol won at 4-under par over four days, with a fierce contest unfolding amid a difficult course setup. By contrast, The Heaven Masters saw birdies pour in, prompting assessments that the course lacked the ability to differentiate players.
This season, the KLPGA Tour has held a total of 13 events through last week. Of these, seven were played as three-round (54-hole) competitions. The 16-under par winning score recorded by Seo Kyo-rim at The Heaven CC in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where the event was held, was more than three strokes lower than this year's average winning score of 12.6-under par for three-round events. The number of players who posted under-par scores reached 59. That was more than double the 22 at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, and overwhelmingly higher than the Deokshin EPC Championship (45), the Sh Suhyup Bank MBN Women's Open (40), and the E1 Charity Open (34). The cut line was also set at 1-under par, in contrast to many three-round events where the cut was over par.
In golf circles, it is emphasized that three-round events require more refined and precise course setups to enhance differentiation. Because there are fewer rounds, a fair leaderboard can only be produced when there is clear punishment and reward for shot results.
Golf industry officials assessed that while the players' good condition likely played a role, The Heaven CC did not sufficiently fulfill this function. One official cited Lakewood CC, where this year's Korea Women's Open was held, as an example: "In the past it was criticized for being easy, but through major improvements it has transformed into a course befitting a professional golf tournament," he explained. "The reason was that it clearly distinguished the concepts of rough, fairway, and green, giving a definite differentiation in shot value." By contrast, The Heaven CC was assessed as having an unclear boundary between rough and fairway, with the rough lying flat, so that missing the fairway posed little constraint in attacking the green.
Another official emphasized that the event was held just one week apart from the Korea Women's Open, so there was little difference in climate conditions affecting course layout and rough growth. In fact, at the KLPGA Championship held at Lakewood CC in 2024, Lee Jeong-min won with a four-day total of 23-under par, fueling controversy over the difficulty. Lakewood CC, determined to make amends, strengthened its course setup by narrowing fairway widths and growing the rough longer, and at this year's Korea Women's Open, only two players posted under-par scores, including winner Kim Min-sol.
The course's length is also cited as a regrettable factor. Both the qualifying and main rounds measured 6,726 yards, and even the longest of the 10 par-4 holes, the second hole, was only 379 yards. With the tour's average driving distance (239 yards), most holes could be attacked with a short iron or wedge. The pro-level appeal of managing a course by deftly using all 14 clubs diminished, reducing it to a monotonous game of who could place wedge shots closer. The fact that the birdie rate on the par-5 18th hole reached 46.5% on the final day is also cited as an indicator showing the course was relatively easy to attack.
A former KLPGA Tournament Committee official analyzed: "Difficulty can be adjusted through various factors such as fairway width, green speed, and green firmness. The fact that such scores emerged despite this makes it look as if the organizers set up the course focusing on lowering scores rather than on differentiation." He added: "The cut line is usually set at over par or even par, so a cut at under par is interpreted to mean it was an easy course."
Ultimately, the value of a golf course rests on whether it provides "definite reward for good shots and harsh punishment for bad shots." When this balance collapses, players attack the pins aggressively without pressure, and as a result, competition over low scores continues. The Heaven Masters' winning score has remained at a low level each year, following 15-under par in 2024 and 13-under par in 2025, reaching 16-under par this year. While a tournament overflowing with birdies may add interest, critics point out that in the long term, consideration is needed in terms of strengthening the tour's authority and international competitiveness.
