2021 winner… 8 birdies in the 1st round,안전놀이터
‘wedding match’ with Hyundai Family’s Jung-jun in December of last year
“During the 2 weeks of our honeymoon, I only played golf with my husband 8 times”
“Good putting, good grades… You have to use the wind well.”
Last year’s LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Hong Jung-min, Lim Hee-jung,
Kim Hyo-joo, and Yoo Hae-ran also had a good time
“I am so happy that I recorded my first official under par as a married woman.”
Lydia Ko (26, New Zealand), who is newlywed, expressed her feelings after co-leading with 8 under par in the first round of the Ladies European Tour (LET) Aramco Saudi Ladies International (total prize money: $5 million).
In the first round of the tournament held at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club (par 72) in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia on the 16th (Korean time) on the 16th (Korean time), Lydia Ko drove only 8 birdies without bogey, and she wrote 8 under par 64 strokes. She tied for the lead with Pajari Annan Narukan (Thailand).
Lydia Ko won three victories on the LPGA Tour last year, including the Gainbridge LPGA, BMW Ladies Championship, and the CME Group Tour Championship at the end of the season. She won the Player of the Year award and the Bear Trophy (least at bats award), and also returned to the top of the world rankings after 5 years.
More than anything, meeting the partner of her life and having her wedding ceremony was the biggest change for her. At the end of December last year, Lydia Ko held her wedding ceremony with Jung Joon, the son of Hyundai Card vice president Jung Tae-young, at a cathedral in Myeong-dong, Seoul.
According to US Golf Week, Lydia Ko said after the game that day, “She played too much golf on her honeymoon because her husband also loves golf, so it’s something we can do together. It allowed her to quickly transition into practice mode when off-season,” she says. “On her honeymoon, she played eight rounds of golf in two weeks. It was so much fun,” she said. He even played her surprise hole-in-one on her honeymoon.
Lydia Ko, the winner of this competition in 2021, also explained that she was able to achieve good results thanks to her confidence in her putter. “The wind is a very big factor on this course,” he said.
Saudi Aramco, the main title sponsor of the tournament, is a major player in European women’s golf, holding six tournaments in the LET, but Saudi Arabia is still controversial due to human rights violations targeting women.
15 of the top 30 women’s golf world rankings participated in this tournament, which is hosted by the LET. The total prize money of $5 million is equal to the total prize money of the Asian Tour PIF Saudi International Men’s Tournament held in Saudi Arabia. It is also the largest prize money outside of the LPGA Tour majors and season finals.
Aside from human rights violations, players attach great importance to the fact that women’s golf is gradually narrowing the prize money gap with men’s golf.
Last year’s LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year Ataya Titikkul (Thailand), Korea’s Jung-Min Hong (21), and Adity Ashok (India) tied for third place with a 7-under-par 65, one stroke behind Lydia Go.
Lim Hee-jung (23), the leader of the KLPGA tour, tied for 6th with a 6-under 66, and Kim Hyo-joo (28) and Yoo Hae-ran (22) tied for 8th with a 5-under 67.
Players active on the KLPGA tour, such as Lim Jin-hee (25), Jung Yun-ji (23), and Lee So-mi (24), also performed well with a 3-under-par 69 stroke for 17th place, while Jeon In-ji (29) tied for 30th with a 2-under 70 stroke.