Kim Soo-ji, 26, won the Hanwha Classic, the third major of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour’s 2023 schedule, last month. As expected in a major, the competition for the title was fierce, with four players tied for the lead after the first nine holes. Chasing down the field behind the champion group, Sooji took a driver on the first hole of the back nine, a short 302-meter downhill, and went for ‘one on’.

It was a decision no one saw coming, as he had opted for a shorter club all three days. Luckily, the ball landed on the green and Kim made an easy birdie to take a one-shot lead. From there, the momentum carried her to the 13th hole, where she birdied four holes in a row to take the win. In the end, a bold one-on attempt on the 10th hole proved to be the turning point in the match.먹튀검증

Golf is a game of choices and decisions, with every shot, every club, every way, everywhere. Some choices are praised for their boldness and courage, while others are criticized for their recklessness and foolishness.

In the history of golf, the ultimate example of recklessness occurred in 1999 at The Open (British Open), a major men’s golf tournament. On the final day of the tournament at Carnoustie Golf Course in Scotland, Jean Van de Velde of France stood on the teeing area of the final hole with a three-stroke lead over second place.

No one doubted his victory. He could get the ball on the green in three with a pitching wedge and three putts for a double bogey and still win. He decided to tee off with his driver, even though he didn’t have to.

Sure enough, the sliced ball crossed a creek and landed in the rough on the 17th hole. The distance to the pin was 235 yards (about 214.9 meters). Naturally, after safely sending the ball into the fairway with a short club, he had to aim for the green with his third shot. This time, however, he didn’t stop at a reckless challenge. A direct shot at the green with a two-iron hit the bleachers next to the green, bounced off and fell into deeper rough.

At a crossroads, he aimed directly for the pin again and the ball ended up in a creek in front of the green. He was penalized and his second shot went into the bunker to the right of the green. Luckily, the ball from the bunker landed within 3 meters of the pin. He holed the putt and made a triple bogey to send the match into extra holes, where he eventually lost to Paul Lawrie (Scotland).

In moments of choice like this, how can we avoid foolish recklessness and choose the path of wise courage? Take the case of Kim Soo-ji. At first glance, her choice on the 10th hole of the day may have seemed overly bold, but it was a rational decision based on careful calculation.

There were five other golfers in the tournament who had attempted a one-on at the 10th hole before Kim. As the last golfer in the championship group to step onto the 10th teeing area, Kim must have already known this. Hwang Yoo-min (20), Kim Min-byul (19), and Ataya Thititjer (20-Thailand) were all within striking distance of Kim. Kim’s drive accuracy was not much different from theirs, so she must have thought she had a good chance of making one. Even if she didn’t, she would have been confident that she could at least make par based on her experience over the past three days.

In golf, the difference between recklessness and courage is a piece of paper. What matters is the coolness to objectively evaluate your abilities and the situation to determine your chances of success, even in the most desperate moments, and the determination to execute without second-guessing.

Annika Sorenstam (SWE), who has 72 career Tour wins, said that you have to take risks when you think you need to in order to win. However, she said, you shouldn’t take a risky shot unless you have a success rate of at least six out of 10, and you should only take one risk per hole. This is because, like van de Velde, repeated mistakes can add up to a huge number of strokes and ruin the entire match.