Korean players who have only won 4 victories on the LPGA Tour this season may be unaffected in the individual title category. It will be the first time since 2015 if Korean players do not win any individual titles on the LPGA Tour.
There are three titles officially awarded by the LPGA Tour: Player of the Year, Lowest Attrition (Bear Trophy), and Rookie of the Year Award. Korean players have won the Player of the Year award 5 times, the Bare Trophy 7 times, and Rookie of the Year award 13 times. In particular, after failing to win a personal title in 2014, she has dominated the LPGA Tour title for eight years.
In 2015, Park In-bi (34) received the Bare Trophy, and Kim Se-young (29) received the Rookie of the Year award. In 2016, Jeon In-ji (28) won her Bare Trophy and Rookie of the Year at the same time. In 2017, So-yeon Yoo (32) and Seong-hyeon Park (29) shared the Player of the Year Award. Park Sung-hyun also received the Rookie of the Year award. In 2018, Jinyoung Ko received the Rookie of the Year award and the Bare Trophy, and in 2019, Jeongeun Lee (26) took the Rookie of the Year award.
In the aftermath of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), he won the Player of the Year award. In 2020, when Corona 19 began, Kim Se-young won the Player of the Year award, and last year, Ko Jin-young won the Player of the Year award. The unofficial titles, the prize money king (8 times) and the multiple wins king (10 times), have also been swept away by Korean players.
However, as of the 28th this year, there is no Korean player who is taking first place in the official title as well as the unofficial title. Jeon In-ji, who announced her resurgence by winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major LPGA Tour major, after 3 years and 8 months, is ranked 5th in the Player of the Year category and 2nd in the prize money ranking, but it is difficult to participate in the tournament for the time being due to a shoulder injury. As of the current LPGA Tour, with only six remaining after 26 tournaments, it is not easy for In-Jeon Jeon to raise the rankings. Ko Jin-young, who is ranked No. 1 in the world, also declared a month-long break due to a wrist injury.
Hyejin ChoiEven for the Rookie of the Year title, it is difficult to predict the winner until the very end. Choi Hye-jin (23) is currently 138 points behind Ataya Titikul (Thailand, 1299 points) with 1,161 points in the Rookie of the Year race. The LPGA Tour gives different points depending on the rank, such as awarding 150 points for winning the tournament. However, if Hyejin Choi wins and TitiCoul’s performance is very poor, a comeback is possible. However, Choi Hye-jin is currently 4th with 69.519 bats in the lowest batting average, but it is worth looking for her comeback with a 0.219 batting difference with 1st place Lydia Ko (69.300 bats).
By Kim Jeong-hoon, staff reporter [email protected]