Long-hitting Bang Shin-sil (19, KB Financial Group) has two wins on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, but is third in the race for the Rookie of the Year title. Hwang Yoo-min (20-LOTTE) also hasn't caught up to Kim Min-byul (19-Height Jinro), who is winless in the rookie race.

Bang Shin-sil is in third place with 2039 rookie points. She has 310 points after winning the Dongbu E&C-Korea Land Trust Championship last week.

Hwang Yoo-min, who battled with Bang into the fourth round of the tournament, finished in a tie for fourth place and gained 150 points to reach 2328 points. Hwang Yoo-min is second in Rookie of the Year points.

The No. 1 Rookie of the Year is Kim Minbyul, who tied for fourth place. She added 150 points to her score and now leads with 2526 points.

At first glance, the situation doesn't make sense. She won her debut at the E1 Charity Open in May, and this is her second win. Hwang Yoo-min also made it to the top at the E1 Charity Open in July and picked up a win. Kim Min-byul, on the other hand, is still winless. Still, with a winless record, Kim is the closest to being crowned Rookie of the Year.

The secret is consistency. Unlike Bang Shin-sil and Hwang Yoo-min, Kim Min-byul has been consistent in her performances. In 25 tournaments, Kim has three runner-up finishes, two third-place finishes, and 11 top-10 finishes.

Yumin Hwang has one win, one runner-up, two third-place finishes, and seven top 10s. Bang Shin-sil has two wins, one third-place finish, and seven top 10s.

Minbyul Kim is also dominating the competition in various metrics. She ranks 5th in money won, 2nd in points earned, 12th in strokes gained, and 14th in greens in regulation. Her only weakness is her putting. He ranks 34th in average putts with 30.2533.

On the other hand, Hwang Yoo-min and Bang Shin-shil have weaknesses in several metrics. Hwang ranks 110th overall with a fairway percentage of 61.7096%. She also ranks 22nd in greens in regulation at 71.4646%. Bang Shin-shil is 114th with a 59.5062% fairway percentage. His average putt is 30.4310, which ranks 49th.

Min Byul Kim has to rue the fact that a bad putt cost him the title earlier in the season. There have been several occasions when she has been in the lead and missed a short putt that cost her the title. A win would have put her ahead in the Rookie of the Year race.

With four tournaments left in the season, the race for the rookie title will be fierce until the end. It will be interesting to see if Kim Minbyul can hold on to the top spot, or if Hwang Yoo-min or Bang Shin-sil can pull off an upset. 스포츠토토링크