'Comeback' Park In-bee "Major Tournament Declaration"..."Clash with Danielle Kang"

In the 2020 Season's First Major AIG Women's Open, '2 Wins March' by Shibuno 'Title Defense', Lewis 'Challenges for 2 Consecutive Wins'

Park In-bee embarked on her quest for a second victory at the 2020 season's first major, the AIG Women's Open.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "The promised land."

'Golf Queen' Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group) has embarked on an expedition to Scotland. On the afternoon of the 20th (Korean time), she declared her participation in the LPGA Tour AIG Women's Open (total prize money $4.5 million) opening at Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland (par 72, 6,649 yards). This year, the tournament name changed from the AIG British Women's Open, and it will be held as the first major of the 2020 season. The major schedule was disrupted due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In-bee is also making a comeback after a long six months since winning the Australian Women's Open in February. From the beginning of the year, she undertook a grueling schedule of participating in four consecutive tournaments to secure a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics in Japan, and finally clinched her 20th career victory in Australia. The LPGA Tour was immediately shut down due to COVID-19, and the Tokyo Olympics were postponed by a year, which was a great disappointment. After briefly returning home, she went to the U.S. to prepare for the Volvik Founders Cup in March, but it was canceled again, so she returned to Korea.

While balancing rest and training domestically, she tuned her competitive shot sense by finishing tied for 15th at the KLPGA Tour Jeju Samdasoo Masters last month. It is interesting that her husband, Nam Ki-hyeop, is serving as her caddie. Park In-bee expressed confidence, saying, "He is a great help not only as a caddie but also as a swing coach." The AIG Women's Open holds special meaning as the place where she achieved the 'Career Grand Slam' in 2015.

She swept the 2008 U.S. Women's Open, the 2013 Nabisco Championship, Wegmans LPGA Championship, and U.S. Women's Open for a 'major three-peat.' She added the winner's trophy at this tournament in 2015 to complete the set, and in 2016, she added the gold medal at the Rio Olympics in Brazil, setting a new milestone called the 'Career Golden Slam.' While professional tennis players, who joined the Olympics early in 1988, such as Steffi Graf (Germany) and Andre Agassi (USA), have consecutively joined the 'Golden Slam Club,' Park In-bee is the first in the golf world.

Daniel Kang (USA) is a player to watch. She won two consecutive victories at the Drive On Championship on the 3rd and the Marathon Classic on the 10th, quickly rising to first place in the prize money rankings ($610,000) and soaring to second in the world rankings. Defending champion Hinako Shibuno (Japan) is aiming to defend her title, and Stacy Lewis (USA), the Scottish Women's Open champion, is challenging for back-to-back wins. Korea's Lee Mi-hyang (27, Volvik), Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group), Yang Hee-young (31, Woori Financial Group), and Kim In-kyung (32, Hanwha Q CELLS) are also looking for opportunities.

Daniel Kang is aiming for his third win at the first major of the 2020 season, the AIG Women's Open.

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