There are around 17 Korean players who will be active in the 2023 season of the LPGA Tour. Korean female golfers, who spent a season last year with four wins less than the previous year, pledge to restore their honor on the LPGA Tour, which will be held in 33 tournaments this year.
At the beginning of each season, among the Korean golfers active on the LPGA Tour, I pick a few golfers who deserve the most attention. This season as well, several players are on the Hama Pyeong list, and many experts and media outlets point to Choi Hye-jin (24) among them. Choi Hye-jin, who experienced the American stage by playing her first season on the LPGA Tour last year, is burning her will to achieve her first LPGA Tour victory this season. Hyejin Choi revealed her goal in her recent LPGA interview that she said, “She will work hard with her goal of winning her first tour.”
Last year, Choi Hye-jin is considered one of the most active Korean golfers on the LPGA tour, and yet the most consistent. Last year, she had 27 LPGA Tour participations, the most after Kim A-rim (29). Of these, she was in the top 10 only 10 times. The number of times she was in the top 10 was the most among Korean players who were active last year. Even without a win, she ranked 5th in the Race to CME Globe points (2151 points), which is calculated by converting season points, and her season prize money also exceeded 2 million dollars (2,075,696 dollars). Although she lost her Rookie of the Year award to Ataya Thi Tikkun (Thailand), who had two victories in the season, she was evaluated as having a successful first season on the LPGA Tour, except that she did not win.
Choi Hye-jin said in an LPGA interview, “It was fun adapting to a new environment while spending my rookie year. In particular, it was good to learn more and try various skills that I hadn’t tried in various courses and environments,” she said. The extent to which he made a soft landing on the LPGA Tour is also revealed in statistics. His specialty is the iron shot. In fact, his green hit rate last season was 76.54%, ranking third overall in the LPGA. He was able to face off more confidently by showing the same skills he showed in Korea at the LPGA as well.
Among Korean players last year, Choi Hye-jin was the most in the top 10 of LPGA events. [Photo by Gettyimages]
Of course, there are also regrets. Choi Hye-jin showed a clear difference in performance between the first half and the second half of last year. In the first half of the year, she finished in the top 10 seven times in 13 competitions. She competed in 14 competitions, while she finished in the top 10 three times. LPGA Tour players unanimously say that stamina is the most important thing to show consistent performance throughout the season. It is rumored that through her experience last season, Choi Hye-jin returned to Korea after the season and spent a considerable amount of time in her physical training. 먹튀검증
Hyejin Choi is regarded as the player who will create the best ‘second year season’ this season without the second year jinx. Since entering her professional career, he has consistently shown extraordinary performances on the stage he is putting his body into. At the same time, he was noticed as a golfer who would challenge to win any tournament every season. After gaining experience last year, it is only natural that he set the goal of winning his first tour this year. The chances of achieving his goal are just as great.
Choi Hye-jin, who was born in 1999, is also a ‘special year’ this year. In the year of the rabbit, the mindset is also different. He said, “This year is the year of the black rabbit, and it is not a common opportunity to play in the same year as the zodiac. Through his experience over the past year, I will enjoy the tour more while trying to maintain the style of play I want.” Choi Hye-jin left for Thailand on the 24th to prepare for the season in earnest. The time to pay more attention to his shots is approaching.
◆ ‘Kim Ji-han’s Golf Discourse’ is intended to tell various stories of golf with all the meanings of Chinese characters that speak (談), talk (話), convey opinions (說), and record (錄).