In the second round, Ko Jin-young (26)’s putting did not listen to Young. The chances of a birdie that I had held at most often went back to nothing because of the putting that slightly missed the hole. To reverse the mood, Ko Jin-young met with short game coach Garus Laplvsky, who had been with him three years after the game that day. I fixed a little bit of the putting posture that I didn’t like. And to motivate me, I made a small dinner bet with the caddy.
On the third day of the LPGA Tour Gainbridge LPGA (total prize money of $2 million), Ko Jin-young, the world’s first player, jumped from a tie of 16th to a tie of 3rd on the third day of this season’s first appearance in this season.
In the third round of the tournament held at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club (par 72) in Orlando, Florida, USA on the 28th (Korean time), Jinyoung Ko hit a 6 under par 66. With 7 birdies and 1 bogie, there was no shortage at all with’Golf Queen’s Shot’.
Ko Jin-young, who recorded 206 strokes at a 10 under par in the middle, challenges Nelli Corda (203 strokes at 13 under par in the United States), who is three strokes ahead. If Ko Jin-young succeeds in the reversal, he will achieve two consecutive championships following the final game last year.
The first half was flat. With 2 buddies and 1 bogie, they only reduced 1 stroke. It was in the second half that his shot exploded. He caught a birdie in a row at the 11th hole (par 5) and the 12th hole (par 4), and the birdie march continued from the 14th hole (par 4) to the 16th hole (par 4). Ko Jin-young said, “Because I thought the first half was more difficult, I needed patience in the 9th hole in the first half.”
Ko Jin-young is not the only player who aims to win the match. Jeon Inchi (27) is still aiming to win in the lead. It is a tie for eighth with 208 strokes in the middle of an eight-under par.
It is unfortunate that the record in 60 consecutive at-bats, which continued from the last day of the CME Group Tour Championship, was broken. Jeonin-in, who hit 67 at the time, finished fourth in the Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions, the first tournament of the year, and finished in sixty at-bats (68-65-67-67) for four consecutive rounds. In this tournament, he hit 69 and 68 in the first and second rounds, respectively. Jeon Inji has no victory after winning his third career in the KEB Hana Bank Championship in October 2018. But this year, it has definitely changed and is raising expectations. Choi Woon-jung (31), who reduced three strokes, also tied for sixth with a total of 207 strokes under a 9-under par, aiming for a turnaround.
Lydia Go (New Zealand), who took the lead alone in the first and second rounds, slumped in to third place after a hot shot. Even after grabbing 4 buddies, he committed 2 bogies and 1 double bogie, and eventually could not reduce the number of strokes. Still, it is the right to win.
Local media are focusing on the possibility of consecutive wins of the’Sisters of Corda’. Nelli Corda’s older sister Jessica Corda (USA) won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in the opening game of the February season. When Nelly Corda is at the top, she writes the record for the second consecutive win in history, following’Sister’ Annika Sorenstam and’Sister’ Charlotte Sorenstam in 2000.
Annika Sorenstam (51, Sweden), who participated in the LPGA Tour event 13 years after retirement in 2008, passed the cut with difficulty, but was sluggish with a 7-over par on the day, and ranked 74th, the lowest among the players who passed the cut (medium total). 9 over par 225 strokes). Thailand’s Patty Tawatanap reached second place alone with a total of 12 under par 204 strokes.
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