'The Third Major' KPMG Women's Open Approaches... What About 'Number 1' Ko Jin-young?

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] 'Number 1' Ko Jin-young (25, photo) will not participate in the third major of the LPGA Tour, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

Golfweek in the United States reported on the 29th (Korean time) that "Four Korean players ranked within the top 13 in the world rankings will not participate in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship starting on the 9th of next month." The battleground is Aronimink Golf Club (par 72, 6,831 yards) near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The entry list of 131 players, excluding the winner of the ShopRite Classic ending on October 4 at Seaview Bay Golf Club (par 71, 6,217 yards) in Galloway, New Jersey, has been finalized.

It is interesting that among the 'Top 10', nine players other than Ko Jin-young will all participate. Nelly Korda (USA), Danielle Kang (USA), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Minjee Lee (Australia), Park Sung-hyun (27), Kim Sei-young (27, Mirae Asset), Nasa Hataoka (Japan), Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group), and Lexi Thompson (USA) have declared their participation. Hannah Green (Australia) is defending her title, and previous major champions such as Sophia Popov (Germany, AIG Women's Open) and Lee Mi-rim (29, ANA Inspiration) are aiming for their second major wins.

However, Ko Jin-young is still staying in Korea considering the COVID-19 situation and is weighing the timing of her return. She plans to tune her competitive shot skills at the KLPGA Tour OTEC Carrier Championship on the 8th of next month, the KB Financial Star Championship on the 15th, and the Hana Financial Group Championship on November 5, before heading to the United States. Korea's players ranked 11th Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte), 12th Lee Jeong-eun 6 (24, Daebang Construction), and 13th Yoo So-yeon (30, Mediheal) will skip the tournament.