Former world No. 1 Ko Jin-young returns to LPGA

The LPGA Tour office used this expression ahead of the opening of the Maybank Championship, an LPGA Tour event held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (par 72) in Malaysia for four days starting on Thursday. The office highlighted Ko Jin-young’s return for the fourth time in an article titled ‘Five Things to Know About the Maybank Championship.’

The office said, “Former world No. 1 Ko Jin-young, who has been struggling with a shoulder injury recently, is competing again in this tournament,” and “She is competing for the first time in about two months since the FM Global Championship that ended in September and is aiming for her first win of the season.” The LPGA Tour is currently on an ‘Asian Swing’ where it plays in Asian countries for four weeks, starting with the Buick LPGA Shanghai that ended on the 13th.

Ko, ranked 6th in the world, has been focusing on shoulder treatment after losing the championship trophy to Yoo Hae-ran in an extended match at the FM Global Championship. Since her debut on the tour in 2018, Ko has won at least once every year but has yet to win this season. Ko’s last win was the Cognizant Founders Cup in May last year. The office analyzed, “Ko Jin-young has been shining in recent months, entering the ‘top 10’ four times in the last six tournaments she has participated in.”

Including Ko and Yoo, 10 Korean players will be participating in this tournament. In particular, Yoo, who is ranked the highest among Korean players in significant records this season, such as 3rd in CME points, 4th in Player of the Year points, and 5th in prize money rankings, is aiming for her second win of the season. In addition, Seong Yu-jin and Choi Hye-jin, who tied for 4th place, the highest among Korean players, at the BMW Championship that ended in Korea on Sunday, will also be challenging for the championship.


김정훈 기자 hun@donga.com