Competing in LA Open on 31st
Top 10 finishes in all previous 3 tournaments including 1 win
Competing with top-ranked players like Lydia Ko
Ko Jin-young (28), ranked 3rd in the women's golf world rankings, is set to hunt for her second win of the season in Los Angeles (LA), USA.
Ko Jin-young will compete in the LPGA Tour's DIO Implant LA Open (total prize money $1.75 million), held over four days starting from the 31st at the Palos Verdes Golf Club (par 71, 6,258 yards) in Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA.
This tournament began in 2018 and was held four times at the Wilshire Country Club in downtown Los Angeles until last year. This year, the venue has moved to the seaside Palos Verdes Golf Club. This golf course was the stage where Ko Jin-young finished as runner-up by one stroke last year at the newly established Palos Verdes Championship. Located in LA County, home to the largest Korean population, she is expected to play amid strong support from the local Korean community.
Earlier, Ko Jin-young showed an upward trend by finishing in the top 10 in all three LPGA Tour events she entered this year, including one victory. She started with a tie for 6th place at the Honda LPGA Thailand, her first event of the season last month, and claimed the top spot at the HSBC Women's World Championship on the 2nd. Although she was not in full condition due to a sore throat at the recently concluded Drive On Championship, she still finished tied for 5th, placing her among the top ranks. Thanks to this, she has raised her world ranking from 5th, where she had fallen due to a slump caused by a wrist injury since the Evian Championship major in July last year, back up to 3rd.
The tournament will feature top-ranked players including world No. 1 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 2 Nelly Korda (USA), and No. 4 Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand). Other contenders competing for the title alongside Ko Jin-young include Lilia Vu (11th, USA), winner of the Honda LPGA Thailand, and Hataoka Nasa (12th, Japan), last year's champion of this event.
Among Korean players, Yoo Hae-ran, who tied for 7th at the Drive On Championship and successfully completed her LPGA Tour debut, has thrown down the gauntlet. She gained confidence by playing in the final round's champion group during her debut stage.
A total of 22 players will participate, including Ko Jin-young, Yoo Hae-ran, Kang Hye-ji, Kim Se-young, Kim A-rim, Kim In-kyung, Kim Hyo-joo, Park Geum-kang, Park Sung-hyun, Shin Ji-eun, An Na-rin, Yang Hee-young, Yoo So-yeon, Lee Mi-hyang, Lee Jeong-eun 5, Lee Jeong-eun 6, Jeon In-ji, Joo Soo-bin, Ji Eun-hee, Choi Un-jung, Choi Hye-jin, and Hong Ye-eun.
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