Inbee Park "Opening Victory GO"... Jessica's Title Defense

2022 Season Opening Tournament of Champions: 'Number 1' Nelly and 'Number 3' Lydia Ko Join, Park Hee-young and Lee Mi-rim Represent Korea

Inbee Park is challenging for the championship at the 2022 season opener Tournament of Champions.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a rematch for the ‘Golf Empress’ Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group).

The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (total prize money $1.5 million), held on the night of the 20th (Korean time) at Lake Nona Golf Club (par 72, 6,617 yards) in Orlando, Florida, USA, is a fierce battleground. It is the opening event of the 2022 season of the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. Only winners from the past two years participate in this ‘champion of champions’ event, with exactly 29 players competing. It is held as a celebrity pro-am featuring prominent figures from the sports and entertainment industries alongside players.

The players compete in a 72-hole stroke play format, while the celebrities determine the winner using a modified Stableford system. Since its inception in 2019, the total prize money has increased by $300,000, with the winner’s prize being $225,000. Park In-bee has accumulated 21 career wins, including 7 majors. She achieved the ‘Career Grand Slam’ by winning the 2015 British Women’s Open and added a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics to become a ‘Career Golden Slammer.’

She qualifies as the defending champion of last year’s Kia Classic. This is her first appearance after a long break following the BMW Championship in October last year. She is determined to wash away the disappointment of finishing runner-up two years ago. At that time, she lost in a playoff against Gaby Lopez (Mexico) and Nasa Hataoka (Japan). She experienced bad luck when her tee shot on the third playoff hole hit a rock and fell into a hazard. Her resolve is to “play enjoyably.”

Besides Park In-bee, Korea is represented by four players: Park Hee-young (35, Isu Group), Lee Mi-rim (32, NH Investment & Securities), and Kim A-rim (27, SBI Savings Bank). Having addressed their shortcomings during the off-season, they aim to demonstrate ‘Korean Power’ from the opening event. Notably absent are ‘Number 2’ Ko Jin-young (27), Kim Hyo-joo (27, Lotte), Lee Jeong-eun 6 (26, Daebang Construction), Yoo So-yeon (32, Mediheal), and Jeon In-ji (28, KB Financial Group).

Nelly Korda aims to defend her 'Number 1' status at the Tournament of Champions 'King of Kings' tournament.

Nelly Korda (USA) is a strong favorite for the title. She is aiming for her first win of the season and to solidify her world No. 1 ranking. Defending champion Jessica Korda (USA) is attempting to win back-to-back titles. She recalls last year’s final day when she shot 5-under par to tie with Danielle Kang (USA) and secured the victory with a winning birdie on the first playoff hole. Lydia Ko (New Zealand), ranked No. 3, is also a dark horse. She is a member of Lake Nona Golf Club and knows the battleground better than anyone.

Hataoka, Brooke Henderson (Canada), and Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) are also dreaming of victory. Michelle Wie West (USA) gained an opportunity thanks to a maternity leave exemption from the 2018 HSBC Women’s World Championship. ‘Former Golf Empress’ Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) is included in the celebrity category. She advanced to the finals at the Gainbridge LPGA held here last year. Baseball star John Smoltz (USA) is aiming for his third amateur win following 2019 and 2020.