Top golfers flock to Scotland for the final major of the 2022 LPGA Tour

Golf

Published: 03 Aug. 2022, 17:05

Top golfers flock to Scotland for the final major of the 2022 LPGA Tour

Ko Jin-young hits off the first tee during the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament on June 12 in Galloway, New Jersey. [AP/YONHAP]

Chun In-gee hits off the second tee during the second round of the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup golf tournament on May 13 in Clifton, New Jersey. [AP/YONHAP]

Eighteen Korean golfers tee off Thursday at the LPGA Tour’s final major of the season, the AIG Women’s Open at the famed Muirfield links, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the world’s oldest golf club.

The historic Muirfield links has hosted The Open 16 times, most recently in 2013, but this is the first time that Muirfield hosts the AIG Women’s Open.

The competition for the last major title this week will be fiercer than ever, as 44 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings have all thrown their hat into the ring.

This includes world No. 1 Ko Jin-young, No. 2 Minjee Lee of Australia and No. 3 Nelly Korda of the United States, who will be teeing off as a group for the first two rounds.

While Ko leads the 18-women Korean contingent, she has not won a major title yet this season. The only Korean with a major title this year is Chun In-gee, who pulled off a wire-to-wire victory at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland this June, marking her fourth career victory and first win in four years.

If Chun can repeat that performance this week at the AIG Women’s Open and win then she will not only outright win the Rolex Annika Major Award but will also achieve a career grand slam.

A grand slam in golf is the achievement of winning four of five majors at any point during a player's career. Chun has won three out of the five LPGA majors, having won the U.S. Women's Open in 2015, the Evian Championship in 2016 and the KPMG Women's PGA Championship this season. Winning the AIG Women's Open in August would earn her that title.

Chun’s previous tied for 11th place finish at the Trust Golf Women's Scottish Open, eight strokes behind the winner, put that grand slam title in a good light.

Chun had shared 11th place at the Trust Golf Women's Scottish Open with two other Korean golfers, LPGA Tour rookies Choi Hye-jin and An Na-rin. Both golfers will be looking for their first win of the season at the AIG Women’s Open.

Kim Hyo-joo hits a drive at the 12th tee during the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek at Shadow Creek Golf Course on May 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada. [AFP/YONHAP]

Another golfer who finished the Scottish Open strong is Kim Hyo-joo, who smashed through the last round carding one eagle, five birdies and one bogey for a score of 66 to tie for third place.

After winning the Lotte Championship in April, Kim is yet to win her second title of the season. However, her six top 10 finishes this season and her performance at the last three events — tied for third at the Scottish Open and the Amundi Evian Championship and tied for fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — could be the perfect build up to her first major win this week.

Alongside Ko, Chun, Kim, An and Choi, Kim Sei-young, Kim A-lim, Kim In-kyung, Park In-bee, Yang Hee-young, Lee Jeong-eun5, Lee Jeong-eun6, Jenny Shin, Ji Eun-hee, Chella Choi, Ryu So-yeon, Park Sung-hyun and Hong Jung-min will be teeing off on Thursday at Muirfield links.

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