Ko Jin-young Playing Comeback Match "Happy to Return to Competition... Performance Will Not Be Affected"

"During the break, practicing yoga... building strength while nurturing the inner self"

Ko Jin-young is answering questions at the press conference for the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship held on the 18th at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, Gangwon Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] "If you have a healthy mind, you can play golf healthily as well."

Ko Jin-young (27), the world No. 1 female golfer, who took a two-month break due to a wrist injury, has returned with a more mature appearance.

At a press conference for the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship held on the 18th at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Ko Jin-young said, "I was unemployed for two months, so I am happy that the time to participate in a tournament again has come."

Last year, at this tournament held in Busan, Ko Jin-young achieved her fourth win of the season and the 200th LPGA Tour victory by a Korean player. She also won the BMW Ladies Championship when it was part of the KLPGA Tour in 2016 and 2017, maintaining a good relationship with the BMW tournament.

Ko Jin-young took a two-month break due to a wrist injury after the CP Women's Open held in Canada in August. She will return to the LPGA Tour through this tournament held from the 20th to the 23rd at Oak Valley Country Club.

She said, "When I increase my practice volume to achieve a satisfactory performance, there is always one part that gets hurt. For me, it was my wrist." She added, "After the middle of the season, my games did not go as I wanted, so my mind became complicated and I had many thoughts." She explained the reason for her break, saying, "It was not just the wrist, but I felt that if I continued like this, I would get burned out, and I did not want to waste meaningless time playing tournaments."

She also mentioned that she developed a hobby in yoga during her break. Ko Jin-young said, "Some yoga poses look easy, but if you do not concentrate, you easily collapse. At first, I had many distracting thoughts, so my poses often collapsed and I fell, but now I have developed endurance." She added, "I am trying to build strength and fill my inner self. If you have a healthy mind, you can play golf healthily."

Regarding the condition of her wrist, Ko Jin-young explained, "It is not completely pain-free, but it is not very painful either. It has improved a lot compared to the worst time, so it should not affect my performance." She promised, "Even if the results are not good, I do not want to blame my wrist. I will do my best."

She showed a calm attitude toward concerns that she might lose her No. 1 world ranking through this tournament. Ko Jin-young has not added a trophy since the HSBC Women's World Championship in March.

She said, "It would be a lie if I said I do not feel the pressure to maintain No. 1, but I do not think that position is eternal." She emphasized, "If my performance supports me, I can maintain No. 1 anytime, so I will just do my best."

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