'Number 1' Ko Jin-young "Recharged and Ready"... Henderson's Title Defense

Challenging First Season Win at Meyer Classic, Inbee Park Leads with 2 Wins, Mirim Lee, Jeongeun Lee6, Arim Kim, and Sunghyun Park Also Join the Field

'Number 1' Ko Jin-young challenges for her first season win at the Mayak Classic.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] 'Rest is over, recharged~'.

The 'Number 1' Jin-young Ko (26) is ready to go. The LPGA Tour Meijer Classic (total prize money $2.3 million) will be held on the night of the 17th (Korean time) at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA (par 72, 6,556 yards). A total of 144 players will compete for the winner's prize of $345,000. Korea has seen champions like Mirim Lee (31, NH Investment & Securities) in 2014, Sei-young Kim (28) in 2016, and So-yeon Ryu (31, Mediheal) in 2018.

Last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19, so 2019 champion Brooke Henderson (Canada) is the defending champion. Jin-young Ko debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2018 and has won a total of 7 titles, including 2 majors, making her the strongest contender. In her rookie year, she won the Australian Women's Open, becoming the first to win a debut event in 67 years, and earned Rookie of the Year honors. In 2019, she swept 4 wins including 2 majors, achieving four crowns. Last year, despite playing only 4 tournaments, she topped the money list and became the 'Money Queen' for the second consecutive year.

This year, she has played in 8 tournaments and consistently placed in the top 10 five times. Her best finish this season was a tie for 3rd at the LA Open in April, and she ranks 10th in earnings ($543,026). It is a bit disappointing that she has yet to win a title this season, which includes the Tokyo Olympics. She is determined to secure her first win ahead of next week’s third major, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She took sufficient rest by skipping last week’s Mediheal Championship.

'Golf Empress' Park In-bee aims to secure her second win of the season at the Meijer Classic.

Golf queen In-bee Park (33, KB Financial Group) is also a focus as she may be the first to reach 2 wins. She has been on an upswing, entering the top 10 six times, including a win at the KIA Classic in March. She leads in scoring average (69.32), ranks 4th in Player of the Year points (69 points), 4th in CME Globe Race points (1472 points), and 6th in earnings ($768,014). She finished tied for 29th at the Mediheal Championship. She needs to turn the momentum around to prepare for a second consecutive Olympic gold.

Korea’s inaugural champion Mirim Lee aims to win the tournament again after 7 years. Jeongeun Lee6 (25, Daebang Construction), Arim Kim (26, SBI Savings Bank), In-ji Jeon (27, KB Financial Group), and Sung-hyun Park (28) have also joined the field. World No. 3 Sei-young Kim, No. 9 Hyo-joo Kim (26, Lotte), and No. 16 So-yeon Ryu are resting. Number 5 Brooke Henderson is challenging for her third tournament win by defending her title. Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and American sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda are also strong contenders for the championship.