[LPGA Tour Review] Ko Jin-young and Korda "Era of Two Giants"... Korea's 'Most Wins' Unfulfilled

Koda's Strong First Half vs. Ko Jin-young's Dominant Second Half, Korea's 7 Wins Combined, Including 5 in Southeast Asian Majors with 2 Titles, Tawatthanakit Rookie of the Year 'Star Emerges'

Ko Jin-young (left) and Nelly Korda have dominated the LPGA Tour this year, establishing a "dual powerhouse" system.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "Era of Two Powerhouses."

The 2021 season of the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour was dominated by Ko Jin-young (26) and Nelly Korda (USA), who competed fiercely for the "Number 1" spot. Recently, Golfweek in the U.S. summarized the "Top 5 Issues of This Year’s LPGA Tour," placing their rivalry at the very top. Early in the season, Korda showed outstanding performance, while Ko Jin-young excelled in the latter half. The United States combined for 8 wins, becoming the country with the most victories, and Southeast Asian players made a remarkable impact by sweeping 5 wins, including 2 majors.

Ko Jin-young, in particular, completed a story worthy of a drama. Starting the season as the world number one, she initially showed signs of a slump. However, she changed the momentum by winning the America Classic in July, then consecutively claimed titles at the Cambia Portland Classic in September, the Founders Cup and BMW Ladies Open in October, and the CME Group Tour Championship in November. She won an impressive 5 out of the last 9 tournaments. She became the first Korean player to be the "Top Money Winner for 3 Consecutive Years" and was also named Player of the Year for the first time in two years since 2019.

Inbee Park defended her pride by winning the Kia Classic this year.

Besides Ko Jin-young, South Korea added 7 wins with "Golf Empress" Park In-bee (33, KB Financial Group, Kia Classic) and Kim Hyo-joo (26, Lotte, HSBC Women’s World Championship) each securing one victory. However, South Korea fell from the position of the country with the most LPGA Tour wins, a title it had held from 2015 through last year. Players who had raised expectations such as Kim Sei-young (28, Mediheal), Lee Jeong-eun 6 (25, Daebang Construction), Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group), Yoo So-yeon (31, Mediheal), and Kim A-rim (26, SBI Savings Bank) ended the season without a title.

The performance of "Number 1" Korda was also outstanding. She was unstoppable until June. She secured 3 wins including the Gainbridge LPGA in March, the Meijer Classic in June, and the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She added brilliance by winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in August. After the Olympics, she chose rest over tournament participation, but in November at the Pelican Women’s Championship, she won after a playoff battle against Kim Sei-young, Lexi Thompson (USA), and Lydia Ko (New Zealand).

At the CME Group Tour Championship, Korda was co-leader through the third round but slipped to a tie for 5th place, missing out on individual titles. Nevertheless, she fully demonstrated the power of being world number one. The U.S. also saw champions like Korda’s sister Jessica (Diamond Resorts Tournament), Austin Ernst (Drive On Championship), Ally Ewing (Bank of Hope Match Play), and Ryan O'Toole (Scottish Women’s Open) join the champion ranks. The U.S. reclaimed the title of the country with the most wins for the first time in 7 years since 2014.

"Super rookie" Patty Tavatanakit won the ANA Inspiration, her first major, and received the Rookie of the Year award.

The strong performance of Southeast Asian players was impressive. "Super rookie" Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand), who hits over 300 yards, won her first major at the ANA Inspiration in April and secured the Rookie of the Year award, marking her as a "next-generation star." Former number one Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) won the Honda LPGA Thailand and the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Yuka Saso (Philippines) won the major U.S. Women’s Open, and Shih Wei-ling (Taiwan) claimed victory at the Pure Silk Championship.