Se-young Kim's Trip to Arkansas "Return Match After 7 Months"... What About In-bee Park?

Declaration to Win at Arkansas Championship, Park In-bee's 2nd Victory Challenge, Lee Mi-rim and Choi Na-yeon Join

Se-young Kim will return to the LPGA Tour after 7 months at the Arkansas Championship.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset), ranked 6th in the world, is returning to the field after 7 months.

The battleground is the LPGA Tour Arkansas Championship (total prize money $2.3 million) held on the 28th (Korean time) at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, USA (par 71, 6,331 yards). This is the 5th event since the tour resumed after being suspended due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19 following the Australian Women's Open in February. The tournament is a 54-hole stroke play over three days. Defending champion Park Sung-hyun (27) and 'Number 1' Ko Jin-young (25) will not participate.

Kim Se-young joined the LPGA Tour in 2015 and has accumulated 10 wins in total. She won 3 tournaments in her rookie year and received the Rookie of the Year award, showing consistent performance by winning at least one tournament every year. This year, she was on an upward trend before the season was halted due to COVID-19. She finished tied for 7th at the season opener Diamond Resort Tournament in January and 5th at Gainbridge LPGA, making the top 10 in both tournaments she entered.

She regretted the LPGA Tour going into a 'forced break' due to COVID-19. Staying in Korea, she rested and trained while waiting for the season to resume. In particular, she participated in five tournaments on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour to sharpen her competitive shot skills. She achieved three top 10 finishes, including runner-up at the Lotte Cantata Women's Open. On the 11th, she was the first Korean player in the country to return to the US and prepared thoroughly for this tournament over two weeks.

Park In-bee aims for her second victory at the Arkansas Championship.

Golf queen Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group) is a strong favorite to win. She is riding the momentum of finishing 4th at the first major, the AIG Women's Open, which ended last week in Scotland. On the final day, she posted a daily best of 5-under-par, showing sharp iron shots and putting. She also raised her world ranking to 8th, laying the groundwork for participation in the Tokyo Olympics next year. She is determined to erase the disappointment of finishing runner-up last year. She declared, "I will achieve good results in the US tournaments."

Two-time champion Danielle Kang (USA) is aiming to defend her home turf. Other contenders include Minjee Lee (Australia), Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Stacy Lewis, and Nelly Korda (both USA). AIG Women's Open champion Sophia Popov (Germany) chose to rest. Korean players joining the field include Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group), Yang Hee-young (31, Woori Financial Group), Shin Ji-eun (28, Hanwha Q CELLS), Lee Mi-rim (30, NH Investment & Securities), Choi Na-yeon (33, Daebang Construction), and Lee Mi-hyang (27, Volvik).

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