So-Yeon Ryu from South Korea

(JEJU, SOUTH KOREA – Sunday 8th November 2009) – South Koreans So-Yeon Ryu, Sarah Lee and Hyun-Ji Kim finished locked at one under par 215 after 54 holes at the Daishin Securities Korean Ladies Masters.

All three players birdied the 511-yard par five 18th hole at Cypress Golf & Resort in regulation play to top the leader board and headed back to the tee for a sudden death play-off in gathering darkness.

The London-born Lee missed a birdie putt from 12 feet to be eliminated at the first extra hole, while Ryu and Kim holed birdie putts from five and 10 feet respectively.

The players were unable to continue due to darkness and will resume the play-off at 8am on Monday morning, South Korean time. Both Kim and Ryu are second year players on the KLPGA but as the tournament is co-sanctioned, a victory will give them the chance to join the Ladies European Tour (LET).

The 21-year-old Kim is targeting her first KLPGA win, although she has won three times on the Dream Tour, which is the feeder tour. Last year she lost a play-off to Jiyai Shin at the BC Card Classic, which was her career best finish.

Ryu, 19, is currently second on the KLPGA money list and has four wins this season. She joined the winner’s circle in May at the Doosan Match Play Championship and followed that with three straight victories from June to August. Claiming the $US60,000 winner’s prize would see her overtake Hee-Kyung Seo on the KLPGA money list, but the second prize would not be enough. There is one event left to be played on the 2009 KLPGA Tour schedule.

Hyun-Ji Kim from South Korea

Hee-Kyung Seo, the 2008 winner who is trying to hold off Ryu, finished with a 74 for fourth at level par overall. She was disappointed to have missed birdie putts at the final two holes. She watched in dismay as her 10 foot birdie putt on 18 edged past the hole and left her a stroke behind after enduring a day of extremely tough, windy conditions on Jeju Island.

Play was suspended twice on the final day due to thunderstorms: firstly for 40 minutes at 2.30pm and again for 30 minutes at 4.15pm.

Ryu defied the tough conditions, shooting 70, which the lowest score of the day. She set the target with birdies on three of her last five holes, before Kim (73) and Lee (74) rolled in short birdie putts on 18 to join her at one under.

Ireland’s Rebecca Coakley (73) and Australia’s Anna Rawson (74) finished in a tie for fifth at one-over with South Korean amateur Sea Young Kim (72).

Coakley held her nerve to roll in a 12 foot birdie putt after the second suspension of play, tying her season best finish with a share of fifth at the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open in China the previous week.

After her final round she said: “I’m very happy because today was one of the toughest rounds condition wise that I’ve played. To just have two bogeys and a birdie: I was happy with that.

“It was very tough. I mean, the rain, you don’t mind, but the wind; it was a three-to four club wind out there at times when you get gusts. A lot of the time it’s across the course which makes it really hard to hit greens, even just to hit fairways. That was my goal for the day: to keep hitting fairways and giving myself a chance.”

It was also Rawson’s season best finish and like Coakley she was thrilled to be in the clubhouse.

“I’m so happy it’s over! It was good. I had a lot of chances. At 17 I left one short from about five feet. I definitely had some chances, so it feels bitter sweet. I feel happy because I think two over is good in those conditions. I can’t believe someone shot two under. I mean, that’s amazing. I’m getting closer.”

Jeong Eun Lee finished one stroke back in outright eighth place, with the next best LET player Frenchwoman Jade Schaeffer at four over in equal 13th.