“(Golf) is something people do, but it seems that all tremors (before debut) are the same. Still, it is my first tournament and it is also my birthday week, so I feel newer than usual
. Having passed the top spot in the LPGA Qualifying Series last December, she will make her official debut on the LPGA Tour through this event. Yoo Hae-ran’s first challenge on the LPGA tour will be broadcast live throughout the tournament on JTBC Golf.
Yoo Hae-ran’s first appearance of the season on the LPGA Tour is also connected to the start of the competition for the Tour Rookie of the Year title in earnest. For a while, the LPGA Tour rookie awards were swept by Korean players. In 1998, Se-Ri Pak was the first Korean player to win the Rookie of the Year award on the LPGA Tour, and 13 players have won the title. In particular, Korean players swept the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year awards for five consecutive years, including Kim Se-young in 2015, Jeon In-ji in 2016, Park Seong-hyun in 2017, Ko Jin-young in 2018, and Lee Jeong-eun in 2019. Even after 10 years, the ‘barometer’ that shows the competitiveness of Korean women’s golf on the LPGA Tour was the Rookie of the Year title.
Natakrita Wongtawirap, who led the rookie of the year in points at the beginning of this season. [Photo by Gettyimages]
But things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. Skipping 2020, when they did not win the rookie award separately, gave the title to Thai players in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, Patty Tabatanakit and last year, Ataya Tittikkun, received the Rookie Award. Alim Kim in 2021 and Hyejin Choi in 2022 joined the competition, but they were all pushed back. Above all, as the topography of the world professional golf tour and the perception of players going abroad have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of domestic players who want to challenge the LPGA stage has decreased. This was naturally linked to a decline in international competitiveness. In the second half of last year, Korean women’s golf never produced a winner on the LPGA tour.
It’s still early in the year, but the situation at the beginning of this season is similar to last year. All four players in the Rookie of the Year award points competition are from Thailand. Natakrita Wongtawirap won second place at the Honda LPGA Thailand held in Thailand after competing for the title until the last minute. Jarabi Boonchant also made a strong impression at the HSBC Women’s World Championship held in Singapore by tying for 17th place with competitive play.
There are three players who have won LPGA Tour cards through the Qualifying Series last December. Yoo Hae-ran and Park Geum-gang are top-ranked players and can compete in most tournaments this season, and Joo Soo-bin won a partial ticket and will play an active part on the LPGA stage this season. Korean new players who did not participate in the two tournaments held in Asia will start the 2023 season in earnest through the Drive-On Championship. Among them, the newcomer who stands out is Yoo Hae-ran. Her skills have already been proven by winning 5 times on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour, and she is the only Korean player to rank in the top 10 (joint 9th) at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International of the European Women’s Professional Golf Tour (LET) last month, raising expectations. is elevated.
Yoo Hae-ran’s challenge is significant in that it can show that Korean women’s golf is constantly producing competitive newcomers. [Photo by Gettyimages]
Expectations for Ran Yu are high this season, who has focused on increasing her shot distance to play competitively in the LPGA. An official in the domestic golf world said, “By achieving first place in the qualifying series, it was shown that competitive players are constantly coming out of Korea, and Yoo Hae-ran has already done a great job.토토사이트 We anticipate that the performance that Yuhran will show on the tour this season will play a big role in motivating Korean female players who have been hesitant for a while to advance overseas.” ‘s competition for the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year will be an interesting point to watch the tour throughout this season.
◆ ‘Kim Ji-han’s golf discourse record’ is a Chinese character meaning that speaks (談), conveys opinions (說), and records (錄). I’m trying to tell various stories of golf with all of them.