Kim Hyo-joo (28, Lotte), who has been showing steady results throughout this season but has no championship, and Ko Jin-young (28, Solaire), who is aiming to regain the world No. 1 ranking. And Jeon In-ji (29, KB Financial Group), who is trying again for the career grand slam.
The ‘Taegeuk Women’s Corps’, which are participating in the AIG Women’s Open (total prize money of 7.3 million dollars), a major tournament on the LPGA tour, are desperate for a trophy for their own reasons. It is also the last chance this season to break the lengthy ‘major unrelated’.
The AIG Women’s Open will be held at Walton Heath Golf Club (par 72) in Surrey, England for four days from the 10th (local time).
The tournament, which was well known as the British Women’s Open, changed its name to the ‘Women’s Open’ from 2020. This year marks the 47th.
It is a tournament that Korean players have also had a long relationship with. Se-ri Pak won the championship in 2001, the first year it was upgraded to a major tournament, the long journey in 2005, and Ji-ae Shin (35, Three Bond) in 2008 and 2012 reached the top.
In 2015, Park In-bi (35, KB Financial Group) achieved the Career Grand Slam (winning four major competitions), and Kim In-kyung (35, Hanwha Q Cells) lifted the championship trophy in 2017.
The winning streak of Korean players, which usually lasted every 3-4 years, stopped for 5 years after Kim In-kyung in 2017. It has been more than a year since In-Jun Jeon of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June of last year that Korea won not only this event, but also a major tournament.
This tournament is worth looking forward to. This is because a large number of people with good senses or clear motivation are participating.
Kim Hyo-joo and Kim A-lim (28, Hanwha Q Cells) have improved their performance. Last week at the Scottish Open, he finished in the top 5 with a runner-up and a tie for 4th, respectively.
In particular, Kim Hyo-joo is showing off her stable skills by recording top 10 seven times and runner-up twice in 12 competitions this season. The only flaw is that he has not won, but he is determined to shake off his disappointment at the last major tournament of the season.
Kim A-lim, who has a relatively low level of attention, has the best sense among recent Korean players. He tied for 3rd at the Evian Championship and tied for 4th at the Scottish Open, posting two consecutive top-tier results. He showed a strong side on the European course and raised expectations for this tournament.
Ko Jin-young has the motivation to recapture world No. 1. Ko Jin-young, who had been on a winning streak until May with two wins, never made the top 10 in the next five tournaments, and she suffered ups and downs, including missing the cut at the US Women’s Open. In the meantime, she lost her No. 1 spot to Nellie Korda (USA).
After finishing the Evian Championship, Jinyoung Ko flew to Jeju Island to play on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour. After dropping out, she returned to England to prepare for her event. She is not free from the physical burden of the forced march, but she is showing confidence that she is better than ever when it comes to putting.
He has many good memories in this competition, such as finishing runner-up in 2015, when he participated as an invited player, and finishing third in 2019. It is the determination to make up for his stagnant performance since May and to return to the ‘top ranker’ position.
In terms of motivation, there is no one like Jeon In-ge. Having won the US Women’s Open, Evian Championship, and KPMG PGA Women’s Championship among the five major LPGA tour tournaments, she will once again challenge for a career grand slam in this event.
After failing to reach his goal with a tie for 18th at the Chevron Championships in April, he aims for another grand slam this time around. In this tournament last year, he안전놀이터 played in overtime and came to the threshold of the Grand Slam, but he only finished runner-up. He hasn’t been very good this season, but he can make up for it all if he wins the Grand Slam.
Veteran Shin Ji-ae, a two-time champion in this event, is also determined to leave a mark in this event. Showing off her rust-free skills by winning two victories on the JLPGA tour this season, she also placed runner-up in the US Women’s Open last July.
In addition, Yoo Hae-ran (22, Daol Financial Group), who is aiming for the LPGA Rookie of the Year, Choi Hye-jin (24, Lotte), who has not won the tour for two years, and Kim Se-young (30, Mediheal), whose slump is getting longer, also have a desire to win. .
Among foreign players, it is worth paying attention to the new players who are at the forefront of the ‘generational change’. In Luoning (China), Ataya Tikkun (Thailand), Lilia Bu, Allison Corpers, and Rose Zhang (USA) all have the competitiveness to aim for the championship.
In particular, Rose Chang, who won her first LPGA event after turning professional, continues her remarkable performance by placing in the top 10 in all three major tournaments she has held since. He is aiming for a major championship as well as his close friend.
The existing strong players such as Koda, Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Lee Min-ji (Australia), and Brooke Henderson (Canada) are determined not to give up their positions easily.
Céline Boutier (France), who won the Evian Championship and the Scottish Open in a row, is aiming for the championship for three weeks in a row while she is close. Ashley Buhai (South Africa), who enjoyed the thrill of her first victory in this event last year, is challenging for a second consecutive victory.