By Ryan Herrington

As if the 2017 golf season wasn’t already filled with a myriad of bizarre rules controversies, there is another dandy to add to the list, one that apparent has cost the job of a top official with the Korean LPGA Tour.

The KLPGA issued an apology on Friday over an incident at this week’s KB Financial Star Championship, when difficult distinguishing between the green and the fringe on several holes at Black Stone Golf Club in Icheon, South Korea, ultimately resulted in all first-round scores in the tournament having to be thrown out.

According to a Reuters report, the problem started when two players, Hye-Jin Choi and You-Na Park received two-stroke penalties after finishing their rounds because they marked their balls during the round on what they thought was the putting green and picked them up, but they were actually just off the green. Choi (above) had shot six-under 66 and was the co-leader before the penalty was assessed.

Later in the day, however, KLPGA officials realized that four other players had done the same thing, but already signed their card. In trying to figure out what to do, the tournament committee initially decided to rescind the penalty to Choi and Park and not impose a penalty on the other four players.

That decision did not sit well with many players in the field, who held a meeting on Thursday. According to Reuters, some threatened to withdraw from the tournament if the penalties were removed while others said they would do the same if the penalties remained.

On Friday, KLPGA officials talked convened with players and decided to wipe out all first-round scores.

“We deeply apologize to players, golf fans and sponsors who helped organize the tournament,” the KLPGA said in a statement. “We will do better to meet the expectations of those who love the KLPGA and will do our best to prevent similar cases from happening again.”

Reuters also reported that the KLPGA’s lead rules official, Jin-Ha Choi, resigned over the matter.

The post Entire round wiped out at Korean LPGA event because of bizarre rules controversy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Keely Levins

Winning isn’t anything new for Jin Young Ko. Just winning on the LPGA Tour. The 22-year-old South Korean native who has nine career victories on the KLPGA claimed her first LPGA title on Sunday at the KEB Hana Bank Championship in Incheon. And she did it in dramatic fashion, holding off Sung Hyun Park, the reigning U.S. Women’s Open champ and World No. 2.

Ko never shot worse than a 68 at the Ocean Course at Sky72 Golf & Resort, with rounds of 68-67-66-68 for a 19 under total that edged Park by two strokes, In Gee Chun by three and earned her $300,000.

This was Ko’s third LPGA start, and her lack of experience showed a bit during the first few holes of the final round. She bogeyed the second and third holes, while Park, who had started the day two strokes back, birdied three of her first five holes. It looked like Park, a shoo-in for LPGA rookie-of-the-year honors, was in control of the tournament, where a victory meant she could potentially take of the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings.

But then Ko steadied herself and birdied four of the last five holes. She added two more birdies on the back. Bogeys on 14 and 16 for Park kept her from passing Ko again on the leader board.

“After I made the two bogeys, I had a really long chat with my caddie, Dean, about why I was so nervous,” said Ko, through a translator, after her round. “I realized I had no reason to be nervous, and I was actually putting a lot of pressure on myself. So after that, Dean was there, he kept reminding me that being nervous was quite natural, that I needed to accept those nerves. I think I kept reminding myself of that. I also tried to focus on the fact that even if there are bumps along the way, I can make opportunities to make up for the bumps.”

With the win, Ko has the option to join the LPGA Tour for the rest of this season and also for 2018. She may remain as a non-member for the remainder of 2017, and still obtain membership status next season.

In 2017 on the KLPGA, Ko has won twice and had nine additional top-10s in 18 starts.

Americans Lizette Salas and Marina Alex finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Salas, a member of the winning U.S. Solheim Cup Team, shot 14 under for the week and Alex finished at 13 under.

The LPGA Tour continues their swing in Asia this coming week, as they play the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taipei, Taiwan.

The post Korean LPGA star holds off reigning U.S. Women’s Open champ to win Hana Bank Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.