[Golf Topic] LPGA Tour "28.5% of Players Have No Appearances This Year"

Mike Whan LPGA Tour Commissioner

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ○…'28.5%'.

This year, there are players who have not participated even once in the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. On the 9th (Korean time), the LPGA Tour announced, "There are 214 active players qualified to participate in tournaments, including those with conditional status," and "Among them, 61 players have not competed in any tournament this year." This accounts for 28.5%, or about one in four active players. World No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25) and No. 3 Park Sung-hyun (27) are also among those without any appearances.

Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte), Kim In-kyung (32, Hanwha Q CELLS), Jeon Young-in (20), Son Yu-jeong (19, all Volvik) are also in a 'closed shop' status this year. Players such as Feng Shanshan (China), Cheng Ya-ni (Taiwan), Mo Martin, Brittany Lang, Paula Creamer (all USA), and Sandra Gal (Germany) have also not participated in any competitions. The LPGA Tour held four tournaments in January and February but was hampered by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The last tournament was the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open on February 16.

A considerable number of players have lost their income, and some have even participated in mini-tours. On the Cactus Tour, Carlota Ciganda (Spain) and Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) competed and took home the championship trophies. The tour has been 'shut down' until mid-June, with events like the Meijer Classic canceled or postponed. The next scheduled event is the Arkansas Championship, starting on June 19. The LPGA Tour has even introduced support measures such as advance prize money payments for players facing financial difficulties.