The Korean women’s golf corps is set to take on the Amundi Evian Championship ($6.5 million purse), the fourth major of the season on the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour. In particular, Ko Jin-young, who has been ranked No. 1 in the world for 163 weeks, setting a new record in the category, will win her third major in a row.키톤벳
The Amundi Evian Championship will be held at the Evian Resort Golf Club (Par 71) in Evian-les-Bains, France, for four days starting on Sept. 27 (KST), and will feature some of the biggest names in Korean women’s golf, including Ko, Kim Hyo-joo, Jeon Ji-in, Shin Ji-ae, and Park Min-ji.
World No. 1 Jin-young Ko is the lone South Korean player to win two titles this year, and she has been a dominant force at this event, winning in 2015 and 2019. Despite being ranked No. 1, Ko hasn’t finished in the top 10 in four tournaments since winning the Cognizant Founders Cup in May. In the meantime, the gap between her and second-ranked Nelly Koda has narrowed to 0.23 points. That’s why she needs to rebound at this tournament.
Hyojoo Kim, who is currently ninth on the money list without a win this season, is also in the hunt for the title. She has been playing well this season, leading the field in greens in regulation (74.5%) and stroke average (69.62). The Amundi Evian Championship is especially meaningful to Kim, as she won her first LPGA Tour title at the event in 2014. She finished runner-up in 2019 when Ko won her second title. Last year, Hyoju Kim (tied for third) and Jin Young Ko (tied for eighth) finished in the top 10.
Kim Hyo-joo at the Amundi Evian Championship – Seoul Shinmun DB
The ‘Major Hunter’ is also the 2016 champion of the event. Shin Ji-ae, who finished runner-up at the last US Women’s Open, is also looking for her second Evian Championship title since 2010. When she won, the event was not a major and was called the Evian Masters.
Jeon Ji-ae after winning the Amundi Evian Cup in 2016 – Seoul Shinmun DB
Korea’s No. 1 player Park Min-ji will also be competing. Park used this tournament last year to test the waters overseas, but she failed to live up to expectations, finishing tied for 37th. However, she showed promise at the last US Women’s Open, where she tied for 13th place, so there are expectations that she could do well this time around.
In addition to Hae-ran Hwang, who will be looking to defend her rookie title, there are 20 other Korean players in the field, including Yang Hee-young, Choi Hye-jin, Shin Ji-eun, Kim Se-young, Anna Rin, Kim Arim, Lee Jeong-eun, Yoo So-yeon, Park Sung-hyun, Kim Soo-ji, and Lee Somi.