Players Are Now "In Physical Training"... "When Will COVID-19 End?"

Most Desired News "COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Tour Resumption", Maintaining Shot Sense Through 'Solo Training'

KLPGA Tour Rookie of the Year Jo Ah-yeon (left), LPGA Tour rookie Son Yu-jeong (top right), and Korean Tour Jeon Ga-ram.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "COVID-19 vaccine development, and the resumption of tours."

These are the "news that professional golfers want to hear most when they wake up in the morning." Jo Ah-yeon (20), the Rookie of the Year on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, expressed a heartfelt wish, saying, "I will pray that 'COVID-19 disappears quickly' for the health of everyone." She added, "I am spending most of my time on physical training and maintaining my shot sense through short swing practice at a driving range near my home."

Jo Ah-yeon notably secured her first victory last April at the Lotte Rent-a-Car Ladies Open. However, with the upcoming tournament on the 9th canceled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), she lost the chance to defend her title. Choi Woon-jung (30), the eldest on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, also shared her current status, saying, "I am training alone at my home in Orlando, Florida," and "I am waiting for the tour to resume while sharing the LPGA Tour schedule with my colleagues."

Son Yoo-jung (19) earned her 2020 season card by finishing tied for 30th in the LPGA Final Qualifying (Q) Series last October but has yet to play her debut match, causing her some frustration. The situation remains shut down until the Mediheal Championship in May. After strengthening her short game, she participated in the Symetra (second-tier) Tour Florida's Natural Charity Classic on the 6th, feeling satisfied with tuning her real-game shot sense. She revealed her hopeful feelings as a rookie, saying, "I would be really happy if I receive an email from the LPGA Tour commissioner."

Members of the Korean Tour are in similar circumstances. The KPGA postponed the DB Insurance Pro-Am Open scheduled for the 23rd and canceled two tournaments in May: the SK Telecom Open and the KB Financial Live Championship. Jeon Ga-ram (25, Volvik), who plans to enlist in the military shortly after the season, is even more anxious. He expressed concern, saying, "Daily life is cautious, but as a player, I have to train to maintain my performance, so I am suffering from double hardships," and "I worry that the number of tournaments might decrease."

It is interesting that Ko Jin-young (25), world number one, skipped all four LPGA Tour events in January and February. She planned to start the season at the Founders Cup earlier this month but was halted by the variable called 'COVID-19.' She has been on hiatus since the CME Group Tour Championship last November. She renewed her determination, saying, "I think this is the longest period I have not participated in a tournament since I started playing golf 17 years ago," and "I practice every day, eagerly waiting for the day to return to the course."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.