○…In amateur women’s golf, there’s a player who’s gotten as much attention as “golf emperor” Tiger Woods (USA) and “golf prodigy” Lydia Ko.
It’s Chinese-American Rose Chang (20, USA). Since September 2020, she has held the top spot in the amateur women’s golf world rankings for 141 consecutive weeks. She broke the previous record of 130 weeks held by Lydia Ko by 11 weeks. She also won 12 titles in 20 tournaments while playing for Stanford University in the United States, breaking Woods’ record for the most wins by a “college senior” (11).
Now he’s turning pro. Her debut on the Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour will be the Mizuho Americas Open ($2.75 million purse), a new event that will be held at Liberty National GC (par-71) in Jersey City, N.J., USA, from Sept. 1-4. “I’m excited to officially announce that I’m turning pro,” Zhang said in a recent Instagram post about her debut, adding that she is looking forward to “starting a new chapter in (her) life.”
The field includes world No. 1 Jin Jin Ko (28), Lydia Ko (USA) and Lilia Boo (USA). World No. 2 Nelly Coda (USA) is not competing due to back pain.
○…Returning to the top spot in the women’s golf world rankings, Jin Young Ko (pictured) said she will focus on playing well and enjoying the game rather than fighting for the top spot.
“Many people seem to care about the No. 1 ranking, but I don’t,” Ko said in an interview with the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf Association (LPGA) on Monday, adding, “It’s good to compete with good players and win.”
Ko won the Cognizant Founders Cup last month for her 15th career victory, returning to the top spot after a seven-month absence. “I don’t want to think about things like rankings and points,” said Ko, emphasizing, “I want to focus on my game on the course and show my best game for the next four days.” He said his goal this season is to “hit well and come out of the course happy.” 안전놀이터
Ko will compete in the Mizuho Americas Open starting today. “After returning home, I spent about five days working out and resting, and after that, I practiced with my coach,” she said, adding, “I hope the hard work will pay off, even if my palms hurt.”
Ko recently changed the way he swings. “I tried to find out what would bring out a good feeling, not the technical stuff like the swing path,” he explains. “I haven’t mastered a 100% perfect swing pattern, but I will do my best,” he added.