Ko Jin-young "Go for 2 Consecutive Wins"... Park Sung-hyun and Yoo So-yeon Join as 'All-Time Champions'

'Promise Land' Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Title Challenge, Kim Sei-young and Lee Jeong-eun 6 Compete, Ernst Aims for 2nd Consecutive Win

Ko Jin-young challenges for her second consecutive win at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] World No. 2 Ko Jin-young (26) is on a ‘2 consecutive wins march’.

The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (total prize money $2.3 million), part of the LPGA Tour, opens on the night of the 24th (Korean time) at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, USA (par 71, 6,438 yards). It is a battleground where the Korean contingent has claimed six victories since Lee Seon-hwa (35) in 2008, known as the ‘Promised Land.’ This year, three former champions?Choi Na-yeon (34, Daebang Construction, 2015), Yoo So-yeon (31, Mediheal, 2017), and Park Sung-hyun (28, 2019)?have joined the field.

Ko Jin-young is boasting peak form. She won last week’s Cambia Portland Classic, marking her second victory of the season and ninth career win, two months after the Volunteers of America (VOA) Classic in July. She demonstrated her strength by returning to an official tournament after about a month and a half and immediately reaching the top. After finishing the Tokyo Olympics in early last month, she stayed in Korea for seven weeks, recharging through rest and personal training.

Her efforts, including practicing with former swing coach Lee Si-woo and changing her putter, have paid off in competition. With ‘Number 1’ Nelly Korda (USA) absent, this is an opportunity to close the gap. Ko held the No. 1 spot for nearly two years from July 2019 to last June before yielding it to Korda, but her Portland Classic win narrowed the world ranking points gap to 1.7 points. Depending on her performance in this tournament, she could get even closer.

It is also heartening that her parents are with her in the US. “My parents were with me at the VOA Classic in July this year, and I also reached the top with them at the Portland Classic,” she smiled. “I will be with my parents for another three weeks, so let’s see if I can win.” After competing in three more tournaments in the US until mid-next month, she will return home to participate in the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship held in Busan.

Se-young Kim aims for her first win of the season at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

Korea’s lineup includes ‘Number 4’ Kim Sei-young (28, Mediheal), Lee Jeong-eun 5 (33), Lee Jeong-eun 6 (25, Daebang Construction), Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group), and Ji Eun-hee (35, Hanwha Q CELLS). Defending champion Austin Ernst (USA) is aiming for a second consecutive win. She won the Drive On Championship in March. Stacy Lewis (USA), the 2014 champion and Arkansas University alumna, is a dark horse. Hataoka Nasa (Japan, 2016) and Lydia Ko (New Zealand, 2018) are also strong contenders for the title.