
Ryu Hae-ran of Korea performs her shot from the eighth tee throughout the first spherical of The ANNIKA pushed by Gainbridge at Pelican at Pelican Golf Membership, Nov. 9, 2023 in Belleair, Fla., U.S. AFP-Yonhap
The 2025 LPGA Tour season will tee off in Orlando this week, with 5 South Korean gamers within the area for the opener that includes winners previously two years.
The Hilton Grand Holidays Event of Champions will open the brand new season at Lake Nona Golf & Nation Membership in Orlando on Thursday (native time). The US$2 million event could have 32 gamers within the area, together with 5 South Korean gamers: Ryu Hae-ran, Ko Jin-young, Kim A-lim, Amy Yang and Kim Hyo-joo.
In 2024, Ryu, Yang and Kim A-lim every received a event. The three wins by South Korean gamers had been the bottom complete in an LPGA season since 2011.
Ryu is the highest South Korean within the newest girls’s world rankings at No. 7. She additionally received a event as a rookie in 2023.
Ko, former world No. 1 now right down to No. 12, had two victories in 2023, whereas Yang and Kim Hyo-joo had a win apiece that yr.
No South Korean participant has received the season-opening occasion since Ji Eun-hee captured the inaugural version in 2019.
The winner of the event will take house $300,000, together with 500 factors within the Race to CME Globe factors competitors.
The LPGA initially scheduled 33 tournaments for the 2025 season, however it introduced final week that the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, bearing the identify of the South Korean legend, won’t be held as scheduled in March as a result of the occasion underwriter had not fulfilled its cost obligations for the 2024 and 2025 occasions.
The LPGA mentioned it’ll work with each Fir Hills, a Silicon Valley-based funding firm, and Pak to reschedule the occasion.
Pak mentioned Sunday that current wildfires within the Los Angeles space have made it tough for the event to be held within the area as deliberate. Final yr, Palos Verdes Golf Membership, an LA suburb, hosted the inaugural Pak event. (Yonhap)