Former World No. 1 Jin Younger Ko returns to competitors on the Honda LPGA Thailand. The final time the South Korean star teed it up on the LPGA on the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, she was sporting a brace on her left knee. Ko ultimately withdrew from the occasion previous to the third spherical.
Ko insists that’s now behind her and mentioned docs checked her whole physique – knees, shoulders, wrists, backbone – and reported that she’s wholesome for 2024. She flew to Vietnam through the prolonged offseason to coach together with her coach and feels assured going into her tenth season as knowledgeable, together with time spent on the KLPGA.
Her objective this yr: Keep wholesome and maintain her vitality up all through the season.
“Normally my season is like first 5 months was very nice after which my vitality getting decrease,” she mentioned. “I need to be in line with my vitality, efficiency, every thing. … Exhausting follow and after the follow, let or not it’s, let it go.”
World No. 1 Lilia Vu headlines the Honda Thailand subject. Final yr Vu broke by together with her first LPGA title in Thailand, after which went on to win three extra occasions, together with two majors.
Whereas her first two occasions of 2024 have been lackluster at greatest, Vu went residence to California through the three-week break to work on her ball putting.
“I believe that was a little bit of a wakeup name for me,” mentioned Vu of the shaky begin, “however positively wanted to occur.”
Lydia Ko, who received the season-opening occasion and misplaced in a playoff to Nelly Korda the subsequent week, will return to motion subsequent week in Singapore on the HSBC Girls’s World Championship. Korda, in the meantime, is within the midst of a seven-week break and returns on the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship subsequent month.
Ko isn’t the one participant making her 2024 season debut. Listed below are a number of different notable gamers (with Rolex Rating) beginning their first LPGA begin in Thailand:
Australia’s Minjee Lee is sprayed with champagne by Australia’s Hannah Inexperienced (L) as she celebrates her victory on the finish of the BMW Women Championship golf match at Seowon Hills Nation Membership in Paju on October 22, 2023. (Photograph by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
Jin Younger Ko of South Korea tees off on the thirteenth gap through the Second Spherical of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Membership on July 28, 2023 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photograph by Stuart Franklin/Getty Pictures)
Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea performs her shot from the second tee through the third spherical of The Chevron Championship at The Membership at Carlton Woods on April 22, 2023 in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photograph by Carmen Mandato/Getty Pictures)
Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand smiles on the eleventh tee through the second spherical of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Membership on November 17, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Pictures)
Hannah Inexperienced poses with the trophy after profitable the 2023 JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Nation Membership in Los Angeles. (Photograph: Harry How/Getty Pictures)
Anna Nordqvist performs her shot from the third tee through the first spherical of the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Membership in Naples, Florida. (Photograph: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Pictures)
Jenny Shin of South Korea takes a swing on twelfth tee previous to The Chevron Championship at The Membership at Carlton Woods on April 19, 2023 in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photograph by Carmen Mandato/Getty Pictures)
Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea performs her shot from the primary tee through the closing spherical of the BMW Women Championship on the Seowon Hills course at Seowon Valley Nation Membership on October 22, 2023 in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. (Photograph by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Pictures)
Hinako Shibuno of Japan performs her shot from the fifth tee through the first spherical of The ANNIKA pushed by Gainbridge at Pelican at Pelican Golf Membership on November 09, 2023 in Belleair, Florida. (Photograph by Julio Aguilar/Getty Pictures)