Women’s golf, which continued to flow for a while without an absolute powerhouse, faced a new trend in the second half of last year. Lydia Ko (26, New Zealand), a forgotten ‘genius’, has succeeded in a splendid revival and is outrunning her rivals.
Lydia Ko, who had already won 14 wins, including two major championships, on the LPGA Tour before she turned 20, lost her goal and fell into a slump. It seemed obvious that he would become a ‘legendary golfer’, but after 2017 he only won 2 wins for 5 years and seemed to be an ordinary golfer.
But Lydia Ko made a perfect comeback last year. He refined his mind through mental training and showed off his hidden skills again.
Lydia Ko, who has maintained stable results since June, won the BMW Ladies Championship, the only LPGA event held in her home country, Korea, in October, followed by the final match of the season in November. Along with his 3 wins of the season, he made 2022 his own by sweeping the Player of the Year award, prize money king, most wins king, and lowest stroke award. It is a bonus that he returned to the top of the world rankings after 5 years.
Because she succeeded in a perfect resurrection, the most notable figure in women’s golf in 2023 is bound to be Lydia Go. Moreover, in December of last year, he signed a 100-year marriage with Jung Joon, the son of Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Jeong Tae-young, adding to his mental stability. Recently, while enjoying their honeymoon in New Zealand, news was heard that they had made a hole-in-one.
The impact that Lydia Ko showed in the second half of last year was enough to remind us of the ‘genius’ of a teenager who commanded the world. If that trend continues this year, we can expect Lydia Ko’s ‘solo system’. 안전놀이터
Lydia Ko will start her new season at Aramco Saudi Ladies International, the European Women’s Professional Golf Tour (LET), to be held in Saudi Arabia in mid-February. It is predicted that she will compete in her first LPGA Tour event at the Honda Classic held in Thailand next week.
American and Korean players are the first to be counted as ‘opponents’ against Lydia Ko.
World No. 2 Nellie Corda (USA) will lead the way. Koda rose to the top in 2021 by winning four wins and winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but last year she had a hiatus while suffering from epilepsy. Nevertheless, he returned in the second half and even won the championship, proving his ‘class’.
This year, he joined the ‘Nike Division’ and gained more momentum. As the world’s leading sports brand, Nike is known for being the most generous of its main sponsors. Koda is known to have been guaranteed a larger amount than the four-year, $20 million contract that Michelle Wie signed in 2004. It is proof that he has such high expectations.
In addition to Koda, Lexi Thompson, who has long been a ‘top ranker’, and Jennifer Kupcho, who rose to stardom by winning three wins including the Chevron Championship in a major tournament last year, are also aiming for the top.
It is also a matter of interest whether or not the ‘Taegeukrangja Corps’ will be revived. Korean players have commanded world golf since the mid-2010s, starting with Inbi Park (35, KB Financial Group). Players who were active on the domestic stage, such as Jeon In-ji (29, KB Financial Group), Kim Hyo-joo (28, Lotte), Park Seong-hyeon (30, Solaire), and Ko Jin-young (28, Solaire), also entered one after another and achieved great results. N’s performance was particularly disappointing.
Including Jeon In-ji, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Ko Jin-young, Ko Jin-young, and Ji Eun-hee (37, Hanwha Q Cells) each won one win each, but there was no “multi-win”, and 16 competitions continued for 5 months after Jeon In-ji. As Korean players did not participate in the opening game of the new season LPGA, the unrelated record continued to ’17. It is the same rate as the sluggishness that lasted from October 2013 to June 2014.
It was regrettable that Ko Jin-young, Kim Hyo-joo, and Jeon In-ji all suffered from injuries. Among them, Ko Jin-young’s wrist injury is still not completely healed, so it is unclear whether he will recover his skills until the beginning of the new season.
On the other hand, Kim Hyo-joo and Jeon In-ji are recovering from injuries and preparing for the new season.
In particular, Jeon In-gee can enjoy the glory of the ‘Career Grand Slam’ if she wins either the Chevron Championship in April or the AIG Open in August. Even if Lydia Ko continues to play solo, it will be difficult to overcome the impact of the ‘Grand Slam’.
In addition, Choi Hye-jin (24, Lotte), who took second place in the rookie of the year last year, is aiming for her first championship, and Park Min-ji (25, NH Investment & Securities), who has established herself as the strongest player on the domestic stage, appears as an invited player on the American stage, centering on major competitions. Test your competitiveness.
Aside from the US and Korea, the player to pay attention to is Ataya Titikkun (Thailand). Tttikkun, who won the rookie of the year with two wins last year, showed unstoppable progress, such as rising to No. 1 in the world rankings at one time. Although he was pushed back by Lydia Ko’s last-minute rise, he is preparing to leap forward again with a year of experience on his back.
In addition, Lee Min-ji (Australia), Brooke Henderson (Canada), and Hataoka NASA (Japan) also have the skills to threaten the top spot at any time. If Lydia Ko does not perform as well as expected, women’s golf may become the ‘Spring and Autumn Period’ again.