Golf☆ New Year's Greeting "Wishing You Lots of Luck~"

'Tank' Choi Kyung-ju, World No.1 Ko Jin-young, PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Im Sung-jae, US Women's Open Champ Lee Jeong-eun 6, and 'Fishing Swing' Choi Ho-sung say "This Year's Goal is Tokyo Olympic Gold"

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Happy New Year."

The Taegeuk Warriors sent greetings from all over the globe to the readers of Asia Economy Newspaper to welcome the year 2020, the Year of the Metal Rat (Gyeongja Year). They include 'Tank' K.J. Choi (50, SK Telecom), world No.1 Jin-young Ko (25, HiteJinro), PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Sung-jae Im (22, CJ Logistics), U.S. Women's Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 (24, Daebang Construction), and 'Fisherman Swing' Ho-sung Choi (47). They are determined to "showcase the stature of Korean golf to the world."

K.J. Choi played an active role off the course last year, serving as vice-captain for the International Team at the Presidents Cup. Although he only played seven PGA Tour events due to injury, this year he will start early from the January Farmers Insurance Open, leveraging a one-year exemption given to players who have made over 300 cuts. At age 50, he will also compete on the Champions (Senior) Tour. His debut will be at the Senior PGA Championship in May. Since the 23rd of last month, he has been sweating it out in Guangdong Province, China.

Jin-young Ko is the new 'Golf Empress.' Starting with the Founders Cup in March, she swept four wins including two majors on the LPGA Tour: the ANA Inspiration in April, the Evian Championship in July, and the CP Women's Open in August. She claimed major individual titles such as leading money winner, lowest scoring average, and Player of the Year. She has left for San Diego, USA, to begin serious training. She expressed her hunter instinct, saying, "I want to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics."

On the men's side, Sung-jae Im is aiming for the gold medal. He entered the PGA Tour as the Korn Ferry Tour (second-tier) money leader and became the first Asian player to win Rookie of the Year. Although he narrowly lost in a playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship in September, he consoled himself with a Genesis Championship win on the Korean Tour in October and proved his competitiveness with a strong 3-1-1 record at the Presidents Cup in December. He will start 2020 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, which begins on the 10th.

Jeongeun Lee6's momentum is formidable. She was the KLPGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2016, the first-ever six-title winner in 2017, and led the money list for two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018, backed by two major wins. Last year, she expanded her domain to the U.S., and it was remarkable that she immediately joined the ranks of major champions by winning the U.S. Women's Open in June. Her consistency is powerful, finishing in the top 10 ten times in 25 tournaments. She is undergoing grueling training in Haenam, Jeollanam-do.

Ho-sung Choi made global news with his unique swing. Known as the 'Fisherman Swing,' his finish looks as if he might fall over. He received three PGA Tour invitations, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, the John Deere Classic, and the Barracuda Championship in July, reflecting his distinct popularity. In November, he won the Heiwa PGM Championship on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO), demonstrating his excellent skills. He will start the new year on the Asian (APGA) Tour with the Hong Kong Open on the 9th and the Singapore Open on the 16th.