[2022 LPGA Tour Preview] Ko Jin-young "Era of Solo Dominance"... Rookie of the Year Competition?

Ko Jin-young vs Korda 'Number 1' Competition, Park In-bi's 'Career Super Slam' Challenge, 'Q-Series Leader' An Na-rin and Choi Hye-jin Join US Stage

Ko Jin-young (left) is aiming to become world No. 1 by defeating Nelly Korda.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Era of Solo Dominance’.

That is the 2022 wish of Ko Jin-young (27), the ‘Number 2’. She is determined to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking and dominate the LPGA Tour. The competition with ‘Number 1’ Nelly Korda (USA) is expected to be fiercer than ever this season. Golf queen Park In-bee (34·KB Financial Group) is aiming for a ‘Career Super Slam’ by sweeping all five majors. The rookie of the year race, newly joined by Choi Hye-jin (23·Lotte) and An Na-rin (27·Mediheal), is also a highlight.

▲ Ko Jin-young vs Korda "Real Showdown" = The two players established a ‘duopoly era’ last year. Korda added brilliance with 4 wins including a major and a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She has held the world No. 1 ranking for 9 consecutive weeks recently. Ko Jin-young collected 5 wins this season, including 3 wins in September and October. She won the final CME Group Tour Championship in November, securing the most wins, prize money, and Player of the Year awards. She is the first Korean player to win the money title three consecutive times.

Ko Jin-young has accuracy in her shots and clutch ability. Her strengths lie in the harmony of driver, irons, and putting, ranking 13th in fairway hit rate (79.74%), 2nd in greens in regulation (78.77%), and 6th in putts per hole (1.74). She overcame a slump last season to rise to the top. Adding strong confidence, she transformed into a ‘flawless player’. She said, "I want to be remembered as a consistent golfer in the new year" and "I want to grow one step in every aspect."

Park In-bee challenges the 'Career Super Slam' at the Evian Championship.

▲ Park In-bee "The Final Puzzle" = Park In-bee is, in short, a ‘record maker’. She debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2007 and won the US Women’s Open, known as the ‘national title of America’, as the youngest champion (19 years 11 months 6 days) the following year. In August 2015, she added the British Women’s Open trophy, achieving the first ‘Career Grand Slam’ by a Korean. In August 2016, she added a gold medal at the Rio Olympics, creating a new history called the ‘Career Golden Slam’.

In June 2016, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the youngest ever (27 years 10 months 28 days) by fulfilling the conditions of "10 years on tour, 10 tournaments in one season." Now, the only thing left is the ‘Career Super Slam’ by sweeping all five majors. She just needs to ‘conquer’ the Amundi Evian Championship (total prize money $4.5 million) held at Evian Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 21. She recalls the thrilling memory of winning in 2012 before it was elevated to major status.

Choi Hye-jin dreams of winning the Rookie of the Year on the LPGA Tour as well.

▲ Choi Hye-jin "Challenge for Rookie of the Year" = Korea has dominated the tour with over 200 combined wins in the US. Especially, rookies have shown remarkable strength. From 2015 Kim Sei-young (29·Mediheal), 2016 Jeon In-ji (28·KB Financial Group), 2017 Park Sung-hyun (29), 2018 Ko Jin-young, to 2019 Lee Jeong-eun 6 (26·Daebang Construction), the Rookie of the Year award was won for five consecutive years. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, the long tradition was not continued in the combined 2020 and 2021 seasons.

This year, an outstanding ‘super rookie’ will continue the Korean Rookie of the Year lineage. It is Choi Hye-jin, who achieved three consecutive KLPGA Tour Player of the Year titles. Last month, she secured her LPGA Tour card by finishing 8th in the LPGA Qualifying (Q) Series. She confidently stated, "My goal is Rookie of the Year" and "I also want to win." An Na-rin, with 2 KLPGA wins, is determined to continue her strong performance in the Q Series.

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