Korean LPGA players win 11 consecutive victories

After 8 years since June 2014
Fear of no title due to key player’s hamstring injury

On the LPGA Tour in the United States, Korean players remained undefeated for the 11th time in the tournament. Koh Jin-young (27) and Jeon In-ji (28), etc., are in a difficult position to play in the remaining matches due to injuries, so it is predicted that the ‘winner drought’ of Korean women’s golf will not be easily solved.

On the 3rd (Korean time) at the Old American Golf Club (par 71, 6517 yards) in The Colony, Texas, USA, the ‘Ascendant LPGA’ championship cup (total prize money of $1.7 million) was won by Charlie Hull (18-under -par 266. 26, returned to England). Yoo So-yeon (32) recorded a final total of 10 under par 274, placing her in a tie for 7th, the highest among Korean players. Yoo So-yeon, who achieved the ‘Top 10’ in about two and a half months since she took 8th at the Amundi Evian Championship in July, said, “It feels good to be in the top 10 for the first time in a while long It’s a shame, but I’m going to focus on seeing a lot of positive aspects.”

Korean players have not been able to climb to the top of 11 LPGA Tour tournaments since Jeon In-ji won the ‘KPMG Women’s PGA Championship’, a major event at the end of June. This is the first time in over 8 years that a Korean player has not won more than 10 consecutive LPGA Tour championships since October 2013 to June 2014 (17 tournaments). This season, Korean players combined for just four wins on the LPGA Tour. As of 3rd, the LPGA has five tournaments remaining this season. A golf industry official explained, “Star players have suffered rope injuries, and rookies are not performing as expected.”

Lydia Ko (25, New Zealand), who is about to get married in December this year, came third only with a shot of 16-under 268. Ataya Titikun (19, Thailand), who leads the Rookie of the Year category, only fourth place with a shot of 12-under 272. Titikun, who added 70 points for the Rookie of the Year award, widened the gap with second-placed Hyejin Choi (23, 1161 points) to 208 points with 1369 points.

The next LPGA Tour event is the Mediheal Championship (total prize money of $1.8 million), held over four days from the 6th.

By Kim Dong-hyun