Inaugural Mizuho Americas Open tees off Thursday

Ko Jin-young hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round of the Cognizant Founders Cup at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey on May 12. [AFP/YONHAP]

The inaugural Mizuho Americas Open tees off on Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey with a unique new format as 24 junior amateurs play their own separate competition alongside the 120 LPGA golfers competing in the tournament.

Ko Jin-young, who recently reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings after winning the Cognizant Founders Cup for the third time, will lead the field at Liberty National as the LPGA arrives at the Jersey City course for the first time.

The 27-year-old has won two titles this season so far — at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in February and the Founders Cup on May 14.

Six other top-10 golfers will join the field: No. 3 Lyida Ko, No. 4 Lilia Vu, No. 5 Minjee Lee, No. 6 Atthaya Thitikul, No. 8 Brooke Henderson and No. 9 Georgia Hall.

Vu of the United States is the only other multi-winner this season besides Ko Jin-young, having won the Honda LPGA Thailand in February and the Chevron Championship in April. She is the LPGA money leader so far this season with $1.13 million and tops the Player of the Year ranking, with 904 points. Ko leads the Tour on scoring average, with 69.107.

No. 2 Nelly Korda of the United States is not taking part due to a back injury. No. 7 Lexi Thompson, also of the United States, is skipping the event, while No. 10 Kim Hyo-joo opted to participate in the KLPGA Lotte Open starting Thursday in Korea.

Thirteen other Korean golfers will compete alongside Ko Jin-young: Park Sung-hyun, Amy Yang, Kim A-lim, An Na-rin, Ryu Hae-ran, Chella Choi, Lee Jeong-eun6, Jenny Shin, Jang Hyo-joon, Kang Hae-ji, Kim Sei-young, Kim In-kyung, Ji Eun-hee.

Alongside the regular LPGA tournament, 24 junior amateur players aged between 12 and 19 from the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) — a nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of golfers who look to earn golf scholarships through competitive junior golf — will hold their own concurrent 72-hole competition with a different yardage to the LPGA tournament.

To make things more exciting for the young golfers, they will get the chance to play alongside the best and brightest of the LPGA Tour, moving from hole to hole with the adults competing in the senior tournament.

The amateurs will first be paired together during the first two rounds. The amateur tournament won't have a cut, so each junior golfer will be paired with two of the remining 50 LPGA golfers after the cut.

Lauren Coughlin, Gina Kim, Wichanee Meechai, Frida Kinhult, Stephanie Meadow and Sophia Schubert will be the first to tee off in the senior LPGA tournament at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday.

Ko Jin-young will then start at 8:32 a.m. alongside Danielle Kang, Patty Tavatanakit, Aditi Ashok, Paula Creamer and Ryu.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]