Participating in the PIF Saudi Ladies International
Focus on Whether She Can Overcome Struggles in LPGA Tour Debut
Top Contenders Lin Yanning, Jino Titikun, Charley Hull, and Patty Tavatanakit Join the Field
World No. 25 Yoon In-na aims to restore her honor in Saudi Arabia.
She will participate in the Ladies European Tour (LET) PIF Saudi Ladies International (total prize money $5 million), held over three days from the 13th at Riyadh Golf Club (par 72, 6,680 yards) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Yoon In-na missed the cut at the Founders Cup, her LPGA Tour debut, which concluded last week at Bradenton Country Club (par 71) in Bradenton, Florida, USA.
Having dominated the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour last year, Yoon is a strong rookie of the year contender on the LPGA Tour this year. Expectations were high starting from the Founders Cup. However, she finished with a 4-over-par 146 over two days, tied for 94th place, failing to advance to the third round.
Most notably, her shots were unstable. In the first round of the Founders Cup, her fairway hit rate was only 28.57%, failing to demonstrate the power of her long drives. In the second round, her fairway hit rate was 57.1%, greens in regulation 55.6%, and she took 31 putts?figures that were insufficient to earn passing marks from tee shots to putting. The key point to watch is whether she can shake off the poor performance in her first U.S. event and create a turning point at the Saudi Ladies International.
The tournament features a large number of star players. World No. 3 Lin Yanning (China), No. 4 Jino Titikun (Thailand), No. 11 Charley Hull (England), No. 22 Lin Grant (Sweden), and Danielle Kang (USA), who has six LPGA Tour wins, are all vying for the title. Defending champion and World No. 23 Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand) is also aiming for her second consecutive victory.
Besides Yoon In-na, Korea will be represented by LPGA Tour members including Lee So-mi, Lee Dong-eun, Kim Jae-hee, Kim Min-seon, and Hong Jeong-min.
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