LPGA tour, Korean New Zealander Lydia Ko (26, Hana Financial Group) was expected to play solo ahead of this season. This is because in November of last year, he swept prize money, player of the year, and average strokes to return to the top of the world rankings, and in February, he won the Ladies European Tour (LET) Aramco Saudi Ladies International. However, as the season began, her situation changed dramatically. This is because Ko Jin-young (28, Solaire), who has recovered from her injury, continues her unstoppable rise by winning the second tournament she participated in.
Lydia Ko, who wants to keep the ‘throne’ that she has regained after a long time, and Jinyoung Ko, who wants to take it back, will open the LPGA Tour Dio Implant LA Open at Palos Verdes Golf Club (par 71) in Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA on the 30th (local time). (total prize money of 1.75 million dollars).
According to the women’s golf world rankings announced on the 28th, Lydia Ko (ranking point 8.30), Nellie Korda (25, USA, 7.63), and Ko Jin-young (7.31) kept their positions in the first to third places.
However, the gap with Korda narrowed to 0.32 from 0.69 last week and with Lydia Gowa from 1.19 to 0.99. This is thanks to her outstanding performance of 5th place, championship and 6th place in the 3 competitions Ko Jin-young participated in this season. Ko Jin-young’s high-sensitivity iron shot, her main weapon, came to life to the point where her green hit rate reached 81.94% (2nd place), and her average at-bats also recorded 67.83 strokes (2nd place), making stable shots. Therefore, if she continues her rising trend, it is evaluated that it is only a matter of time before she regains the world No. 1 spot.
However, Lydia Ko is also still maintaining her world number one skills, so it seems that she will not easily lose the ‘Throne’. After winning two consecutive tournaments last season, including the CME Globe Championship and Aramco Saudi Arabia, Ko reached 6th place at the Honda LPGA Thailand, her first event of the season. However, in her second competition, the HSBC Women’s World Championship, she was in 31st place and stagnated. As Lydia Ko took a week off and checked her shots again, a fierce competition with Ko Jin-young for the championship is expected in this tournament. 토토사이트
The performance of ‘Rookie’ Yoo Hae-ran (22, Daol Financial Group, photo) this season is also worth watching. Yoo Hae-ran, who debuted on the LPGA Tour at the end of last year as the “Senior” in the Qualifying (Q) Series, tied for 7th (16 under par, 272 strokes) at the Drive-On Championship, which ended on the 27th. In particular, in the 3rd round, he showed strong play to come in a tie for 2nd place by a stroke, proving that he had the competitiveness to win.
Above all, the cool long hitting power stands out. Yoo Hae-ran’s average drive distance on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour was only in the mid-240 yards, but in his debut game, he caught the attention of the galleries by striking a formidable long drive with an average of 292 yards in 4 rounds. In particular, in the first round, he recorded an average of 306 yards, reminiscent of male players on the PGA Tour. During winter training ahead of his debut, it seems that he focused on training to increase the distance in line with the golden age of long hitters. It is noteworthy whether she will stand tall as another star representing Korean women’s golf this season by showing off her sophisticated putting skills, recording an average number of putts per round of 27.