Top four Korean golfers to tee off at ShopRite Classic

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Top four Korean golfers to tee off at ShopRite Classic

Published: 30 Sep. 2021, 16:35

Park In-bee plays her shot from the third tee of the second round of the KB Financial Group Star Championship at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi, on Sep. 10. [KLPGA]

Korean LPGA golfers are back and ready to win again at the ShopRite Classic presented by Acer Seaview in Galloway, New Jersey starting Friday.

For the first time since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in August, world No. 2 Ko Jin-young, No. 3 Park In-bee, No. 4 Kim Sei-young and No. 8 Kim Hyo-joo will all take part in the tournament, alongside 14 other Korean golfers.

Ko Jin-young watches her tee shot on the 14th hole during the final round of the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic golf tournament in West Linn, Ore., Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. [AP/YONHAP]

Ko is currently in her fourth season on the LPGA Tour and will be looking for her 10th victory and third win of the season, after winning the Volunteers of America Classic this July and the Cambia Portland Classic two weeks ago.

Last week, Ko finished tied for sixth at the 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. Ko will be hoping to continue her good form on Seaview for three rounds of 54 holes.

Kim Sei-young returns from a rather lackluster performance at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, finishing tied for 56th. She will be looking for her first victory of the season at the ShopRite Classic as her best result this season is tying for second at the Lotte Championship in April.

Kim Sei-young chips onto the 18th green during the second round of the LPGA Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in Rogers, Arkansas. [AP/YONHAP]

Park returns to the LPGA Tour after a month off. Her most recent LPGA outing was at the AIG Women’s Open in August, where she tied for 52nd.

After that, Park came to Korea to play at the 2021 KB Star Championship on Sep. 9 at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi, alongside LPGA golfers Kim Hyo-joo and Chun In-gee. Park finished tying for 32nd. Chun finished tied for 10th place and Kim Hyo-joo landed herself at sixth.

Kim Hyo-joo stayed a week longer than Park and Chun to play the Se Ri Pak Invitational the following week, where she was able to show off some class, making a big comeback in the third and final round to win the title. Kim Hyo-joo now returns back to the LPGA Tour after two months, her most recent outing was at the Amundi Evian Championship in July in France.

Kim Hyo-joo plays her shot from the second tee of the final round of the KB Financial Group Star Championship at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi, on Sep. 11.

Ji Eun-hee, who finished tied for second at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last week after carding a bogeyless last round of two birdies and an eagle, joins the four golfers as does Ryu So-yeon. Ryu notched a nine-under-par, 62 on the last day of the Walmart Arkansas Championship, carding the round of the week.

So far, Korean golfers have won four LPGA titles this season, just two short of a total 200 wins since Ku Ok-hee won the Standard Register Turquoise Classic on March 27, 1988.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]