‘Number 1’ Ko Jin-young 2 Consecutive Wins vs ‘Golf Queen’ Park In-bee 2 Consecutive Losses... "Who is the Winner?"

2022 Season Round 6 JTBC Classic Showdown: Daniel Kang and Lydia Ko Join 'Champ Squad', Kim Se-young Adds Strength for Korea

Ko Jin-young (left) and Park In-bee will face off in a battle of pride at the JTBC Classic.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "2 consecutive wins vs 2 consecutive losses."

World No.1 Ko Jin-young (27) and 'Golf Empress' Park In-bee (34·KB Financial Group) are set for a pride showdown. The battleground is the JTBC Classic of the LPGA Tour (total prize money $1.5 million), which kicks off on the night of the 24th (Korean time) at Aviara Golf Club (par 72, 6,609 yards) in Carlsbad, California, USA. It is the 6th event of the 2022 season, held in the US after completing two 'Asian Swing' tournaments.

Ko Jin-young is recognized as the strongest by all. She secured a 2-stroke victory at the HSBC Women's World Championship held at Sentosa Golf Club Tanjong Course in Singapore on the 6th. It was her 13th LPGA Tour win, her first since the CME Group Tour Championship, the final event of the 2021 season, four months ago. Above all, it was a thrilling victory in her first outing this year. She is currently on a hot streak, having won 6 of the last 10 tournaments.

Nearly half of her 13 wins were achieved within 8 months since July last year. She set LPGA Tour records with the first-ever 15 consecutive rounds in the 60s and an unprecedented 30 consecutive rounds under par. She skipped the previous tournament, the Honda LPGA Thailand, to rest and train. In the recently released world rankings, she is No.1, 0.96 points ahead of Nelly Korda (USA). She plans to build a foundation for a long reign by achieving 2 consecutive wins.

Park In-bee is participating as the defending champion. She recalls the thrilling memory of her 'wire-to-wire' victory last year, leading the tournament for all four days. It was her 21st career win, the 25th most in LPGA Tour history, and she is now 4 wins shy of Park Se-ri (45), who holds the record for most wins by a Korean player with 25. This year, she has played in 4 tournaments but has yet to win. Her best finish was a tie for 8th at the Tournament of Champions in January. Regaining her putting touch is the key to victory.

This year's champions, including 'Tournament of Champions champ' Danielle Kang (USA), 'Gainbridge champ' Lydia Ko (New Zealand), 'Drive On champ' Leona Maguire (Ireland), and 'Honda champ' Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Denmark), have all gathered. Korea is represented by 'No.7' Kim Se-young (29·Mediheal), Lee Jeong-eun6 (26·Daebang Construction), Jeon In-ji (28·KB Financial Group), among others. 'KLPGA member' Lim Hee-jung (22·Korea Land & Housing Corporation) is participating as an invited player.

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