Inbee Park "Hunting for 2 Wins This Time"... Jin Young Ko 'Ready to Compete After Rest'

Hugel-Air Premia Launches Victory Bid at LA Open, Lydia Aims for 2nd Consecutive Win, Former Champions Including Jutanugarn and Minji Join

Park In-bee aims for her second win of the season at the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] 'Golf Queen' Park In-bee (33, KB Financial Group) is aiming for her second victory.

On the 22nd (Korean time), the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open (total prize money $1.5 million), part of the LPGA Tour, will be held at Wilshire Golf Club in Los Angeles, California (par 71, 6,450 yards). This tournament was established by a domestic company in 2018 but was canceled last year due to COVID-19. It is the 7th event of the 2021 season with 145 players participating. Considering next week's HSBC Women's event in Singapore, the tournament will conclude on Saturday local time.

Park In-bee is the strongest player in women's golf worldwide. She has accumulated 21 LPGA Tour wins, including 7 major championships. In 2015, she won the British Women's Open, completing victories in four different majors and achieving the 'Career Grand Slam.' In 2016, she won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics, becoming the first-ever 'Career Golden Slam' winner. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 at the youngest age of 27 years, 10 months, and 28 days, becoming the 25th inductee in history.

This year, she has been competing early on with the goal of defending her Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in August. She is ranked number 2 in the world, following Ko Jin-young (26), who is number 1. As of June, Korea can send up to four players within the 'Top 15,' effectively securing 'Tokyo Olympic tickets.' On the 29th of last month, she achieved a 'wire-to-wire' victory by leading throughout all four rounds at the season-opening Kia Classic. She also performed well with a tie for 7th place at the first major, the ANA Inspiration, on the 5th.

Last week at the Lotte Championship, she continued her strong momentum by finishing tied for 2nd place. This marks her third consecutive tournament finishing in the 'Top 10' this year. On the final day, she showcased perfect play with no bogeys, one eagle, and seven birdies. She leads the average score ranking (68.25 strokes), prize money ($474,859), and is 4th in Player of the Year points (50 points). She has excellent course compatibility, having finished tied for 2nd in 2018 and tied for 5th in 2019. She expressed confidence, saying, "My condition is good," and "I have regained the feel for winning shots."

Lydia Ko aims for her second consecutive win at the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open.

Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is a strong favorite for the championship. She achieved a dominant 7-stroke victory at the Lotte Championship. It was her first win in three years since the 2018 Mediheal Championship, marking her 16th career victory. Most notably, after various ups and downs including changes in coach, caddie, and golf clubs, she has revived her form. She explained the background of her comeback, saying, "Winning after a long time brings many thoughts," and "Coach Sean Foley, who has been with me since last year, helped me gain confidence."

First champion Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand) and 2019 winner Minjee Lee (Australia) are aiming for their second trophies. Korea's Ko Jin-young is challenging for her first victory. She rested last week to recharge her energy. She has finished in the 'Top 5' twice in this tournament. Other Korean players participating include 'Number 3' Kim Sei-young (28, Mediheal), Lee Jeong-eun 6 (25, Daebang Construction), Park Sung-hyun (28), Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group), and Kim A-rim (26, SBI Savings Bank).

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