Mi-Jeong Jeon, 2013 Yokohama Tire winner
Two JLPGA events in the books. Two playoffs. Looks like it’s going to be a dramatic and exciting year on the LPGA of Japan tour. This time it would be the 2012 JLPGA Player of the Year, Mi-Jeong Jeon of South Korea, outdueling fellow Seoul Sister Young Kim. Both MJJ and Young Kim both finished at 9-under after third round matching 3-under 69s. Each player also had 5 birdies and 2 bogeys. It would be MJJ who cast the separating stroke with a putt on the first hole of the playoff to seal victory. Not only is MJJ the reigning JLPGA Player of the Year, but the win also added to an extraordinary career title number 22 on the Japanese tour. I am a fan of hers, but I did feel badly for overnight leader Esther Lee. Not that she didn’t win…I was rooting for MJJ. Rather, that she shot and underwhelming 4-over. She was the only player in the top 24 to shoot over par. I would have liked to have seen Esther play well, win or lose. Hopefully, Lee will have another shot at winning this year and end holding the trophy.
MI-JEONG JEON
with Young Kim
YOUNG KIM
MEGUMI KIDO
LALA ANAI
KAORI NAKAMURA
ERINA HARA
ERIKA KIKUCHI
BO-MEE LEE
| Position | Player | ToPar | Thru | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mi-Jeong Jeon | -9 | F | -3 |
| 2 | Young Kim | -9 | F | -3 |
| 3 | Rikako Morita | -8 | F | -5 |
| 4T | Erika Kikuchi | -7 | F | -6 |
| Lala Anai | -7 | F | -5 | |
| Kaori Nakamura | -7 | F | -4 | |
| Bo-Mee Lee | -7 | F | -4 | |
| Da-Ye Na | -7 | F | -2 | |
| Yun-Jye Wei | -7 | F | -1 | |
| Ji-Hee Lee | -7 | F | -1 | |
| Erina Hara | -7 | F | E | |
| 12T | Sun-Ju Ahn | -6 | *F | -6 |
| Hiromi Mogi | -6 | F | -3 | |
| Yuri Fudoh | -6 | F | -2 | |
| Yukari Baba | -6 | F | -1 | |
| 16T | Sakura Yokomine | -5 | F | -4 |
| Harukyo Nomura | -5 | F | -3 | |
| 18T | Akane Iijima | -4 | F | -3 |
| Eun-Bi Jang | -4 | F | -3 | |
| Airi Saitoh | -4 | F | -2 | |
| Yuko Fukuda | -4 | F | -2 | |
| Onnarin Sattayabanphot | -4 | F | -2 | |
| Miki Saiki | -4 | F | -1 | |
| Esther Lee | -4 | F | +4 | |
| 25T | Na-Ri Lee | -3 | F | -1 |
| Miki Sakai | -3 | *F | -3 | |
| Megumi Kido | -3 | F | -1 | |
| Yuki Ichinose | -3 | F | -1 | |
| Misuzu Narita | -3 | F | +1 | |
| Teresa Lu | -3 | F | +3 | |
| 31T | Chiharu Tsunekawa | -2 | F | E |
| Satsuki Oshiro | -2 | F | +1 | |
| Asako Fujimoto | -2 | F | +4 | |
| 34T | Yeo-Jin Kang | -1 | F | +1 |
| Yui Mukaiyama | -1 | F | +1 | |
| Natsuka Hori | -1 | *F | -1 | |
| Kumiko Kaneda | -1 | *F | -2 | |
| Ji-Min Lee | -1 | *F | -2 | |
| 39T | Ah-Reum Hwang | E | F | +1 |
| Na-Ri Kim | E | F | +1 | |
| Ikue Asama | E | *F | -1 | |
| Maiko Wakabayashi | E | F | +3 | |
| 43 | Yumiko Yoshida | +1 | *F | E |
| 44T | Saki Okamura | +2 | F | +3 |
| So-Hee Kim | +2 | *F | +2 | |
| Shinobu Moromizato | +2 | *F | +2 | |
| Nachiyo Ohtani | +2 | *F | +2 | |
| Hiroko Fukushima | +2 | *F | +1 | |
| Pei-Lin Yu | +2 | *F | +1 | |
| 50T | Mihoko Iseri | +3 | F | +4 |
| Rui Yokomine | +3 | *F | +2 | |
| 52T | Rui Kitada | +4 | *F | +3 |
| Hyun-Ju Shin | +4 | *F | +3 | |
| 54 | Sayuri Takashima | +5 | F | +8 |
| 55 | Sae Yamamura | +11 | *F | +11 |
