Ko posted the highest round of her LPGA career, an opening 80, at the recent BMW Ladies Championship.
Jin Young Ko used four words and two emojis on Monday to caption a photograph on Instagram. Anyone looking for insight into the World No. 1’s frame of mind after last week’s withdrawal got the message loud and clear.
“Accept, think, move on,” Ko wrote, followed by a twister emoji.
The BMW Ladies Championship surely felt something like a raging storm for the World No. 1. Ko teed it up close to home in her first event in two months after taking time off to heal a nagging wrist injury.
The player who often wins tournaments after long breaks, instead posted the highest round of her LPGA career, an opening 80. Ko made a 10 on the closing par 5, whiffing a shot left-handed and mostly making a mess of the hole. She shot 79 on Friday and then withdrew.
Ko, 27, told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency after the first round that she didn’t want to use her wrist injury as an excuse. But after 36 holes, it was clear that something wasn’t right.
Ko’s manager told Golfweek on Monday that she hasn’t yet fully recovered from the left wrist injury and is currently receiving treatment. She will do her best to be able to compete in better condition next month in Florida.
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There are three events remaining on the LPGA schedule. Ko never planned to play in Japan but did have her sights set on the last two events. She won last year’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship while playing in so much pain she couldn’t properly warm up before each round.
Last week in South Korea, Ko came close to being overtaken as World No. 1 with rookie Atthaya Thitikul heading into the final round holding the lead. No. 2-ranked Thitikul could’ve risen to No. 1 with a solo fourth-place finish. A disappointing 74 on Sunday, however, dropped the young Thai star into sixth.
Ko has occupied the top spot for 38 consecutive weeks and 144 weeks total. She won in her first start of the season – the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March.
“That last putt, I couldn’t really see the ball because of my tears.”
Na Yeon Choi wasn’t going to cry. But then after she hit her tee shot on the 18th, Amy Yang said “Good job” and started to sob. Choi followed suit.
“That last putt,” she said, “I couldn’t really see the ball because of my tears.”
Choi’s final LPGA event proved unforgettable for a number of reasons. During the third round, the 35-year-old South Korean aced the par-3 12th at the BMW Ladies Championship to win a BMW X7 SUV.
On Sunday at Oak Valley Country Club, several LPGA players held up a banner as she wrapped up a decorated career that spanned 18 years. Choi finished with a sparkling 68. Among the players who came out to support was Inbee Park, an LPGA Hall of Famer who wasn’t in the field this week.
“I would first like to thank my friends for coming all the way from Seoul,” she said. “My friends really supported me during tough times. To support each other and wish the best for each other whilst playing in the same tour, as professional golfers is actually harder than it looks, but Inbee, So Yeon, Jeongeun have helped greatly with golf and mentally as well. So I am really grateful for the five players who are here today.”
Inbee Park of South Korea, So-yeon Ryu of South Korea and former player Ha-neul Kim of South Korea hold a banner to appreciate Na-yeon Choi (not pictured) who is retiring near the 9th green during the final round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Country Club on October 23, 2022 in Wonju, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Choi won nine times on the LPGA, including the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, and rose as high as No. 2 in the world. Choi made the decision to retire earlier this season and asked BMW for a sponsor exemption into this week. She said she leaves the tour with no regrets.
Through her popular YouTube channel, Choi learned that she likes to teach. She’d like to do some of that in the future, if she can figure out a way to do it that’s healthy for her.
“My only concern with this is that personally I think I got really worn out from the emotional side of being a golfer,” she said. “For instance, if I don’t play well, then there’s stress, and I’m struggling with all these emotions. It kind of wore me down. My only concern is I might relate too much to the players or kids that I teach, and I do have a fear about me getting into that emotional cycle again.”
She also has an interest in golf commentary in South Korea.
As for immediate plans, Choi said she had wanted to go out drinking with friends.
“I don’t know if this makes me old, but I am getting dental implants,” she said, “so I cannot drink alcohol right now. But other than that, I am loving the fact that I no longer have to get up at 4 or 5 a.m.”
Choi said her ace on Saturday came off as exactly as she’d imagined. She immediately had goosebumps after she struck her 6-iron from 171 yards. Adding to the serendipitous moment was that fact that CME Group donates $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“Of course, whenever you ace a hole, you’re ecstatic,” said Choi. “But at the same time, for me, I think I got kind of emotional because it almost seemed like I was being rewarded for all those years of hard work.”
Now with 18 career titles, Ko sits 30th on the LPGA’s career wins list, joining Meg Mallon and Hollis Stacy.
Lydia Ko teared up on the 18th when her last putt dropped at the BMW Ladies Championship. A prolific winner worldwide since her teenage years, the 25-year-old Ko always wanted to win in her native South Korea.
The former world No. 1 birdied three of the last four holes to clinch her second title of 2022, closing with a 7-under 65 to best Andrea Lee by four strokes. Overnight leader Atthaya Thitikul had a chance to rise to No. 1 after this week, but a disappointing 74 dropped her into sixth place. The Thai teen needed to finish solo fourth to have a chance.
“I think this week more than ever, I said I really, really want to win in Korea,” said Ko, “and I think maybe that was a good mindset or I was hypnotizing myself to try to get it done, but that’s why it means so much to me.
“Every time I come back to Korea, even though I play under the New Zealand flag, so many people support me, so many people go (Korean). I think that is such a boost.”
Lydia Ko of New Zealand is poured champagne after winning the tournament on the 18th green during the final round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Country Club on October 23, 2022 in Wonju, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
This also marked the first time Ko’s father has seen her compete in person in 2½ years. Ko teared up again at the thought of having him there.
Ko calls this her most consistent season to date. She hasn’t missed a cut in 20 starts and in addition to her two wins has nine additional top-5 finishes.
She became the fifth player to win multiple times this season, joining Jennifer Kupcho (3), Minjee Lee (2), Brooke Henderson (2) and Thitikul (2).
Now with 18 career titles, Ko sits 30th on the LPGA’s career wins list, joining Meg Mallon and Hollis Stacy. It’s the first time she has won multiple titles in one season since 2016.
“I think this is probably the best I’ve played, the most consistently I’ve played. When I was No. 1, I just had more wins in that season. I don’t think I’ve had as many top 10s,” said Ko. “I wanted to finish my season off strong, including this one, with only three events to go. To be able to win this one means a lot, and I think it gives me good motivation for my last couple of events in Florida.”
Ko came into this event with a sizable lead over Minjee Lee in the Vare Trophy race for the season’s lowest scoring average. She won the award last season as well, earning an LPGA Hall of Fame point in the process. A player must earn 27 points to enter the LPGA HOF. Ko currently has 22 points.
Victory in Korea! 🇰🇷
Check out Lydia Ko's final round highlights from the BMW Ladies Championship! pic.twitter.com/2lVsbVfSGh
Earlier in the week, Ko pointed to her even-keeled approach to the second half of the season as a key to her success. She also mentioned that she’s in a good place in life off the course as well. Ko and her fiancé, Chung Jun, plan to get married in December.
“I have to say, wherever my fiancé is, he is always in my heart, so it’s like he is near me,” Ko said, when asked if he was on hand for the victory.
“I have a lot of people congratulate me and a lot of people are very much interested, and so I really thank them for their support and interest. I have a lot of fans coming up to me and congratulating me, so I’m very grateful for the attention and congratulations I’m getting.
“However, this is the BMW Ladies Championship, and I don’t want to take away from this event, so I hope you understand I would like to conclude my comments about my marriage with that.”
Ko heads into the last three events of the season with much on the line. She will skip the next event in Japan and play the last two in Florida. The victory in South Korea moved her one point ahead of Lee in the Rolex Player of the Year race, an award she won in 2015. Brooke Henderson is 20 points back, and Thitikul trails by 21.
A player must finish inside the top 10 to earn POY points, with a victory garnering 30 points.
Despite the poor finish, the rookie Thitikul left South Korea feeling good about her game after seeing her swing coach in person for the first time since August. She will compete next on the LPGA in Japan.
As for the prospect of becoming the second teenager to rise to No. 1 in the world, Thitikul brushed it aside.
“I mean, to be honest, I don’t really care about the ranking,” she said ahead of Sunday’s round. “I don’t really care to be like No. 1 in the world at all because I play golf because I want to take care of my family. I want to feed my family. Whatever I am is fine. Even my family, they have a good life already.
Atthaya Thitikul would move to No. 1 in the world with a win.
It has been a season to remember for 19-year-old Atthaya Thitikul.
The LPGA rookie from Thailand sits third in the season-long Race to CME Globe points race, having recorded two LPGA wins and one Ladies European Tour win. She’s ranked second in the Rolex rankings
In South Korea, Thitikul is again proving she’s among the game’s elite as a teenager. She fired a third-round 5-under 67 to move into first at the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Country Club. She leads Lydia Ko and Andrea Lee by one shot and Lilia Vu by two heading into Sunday’s final round. It’s a packed leaderboard, but five birdies on the back nine for Thitikul give her the advantage heading to Sunday.
“I tried to keep making birdies on the last nine holes because I don’t have that much birdies on the front nine,” Thitikul said. “Just trying to, like, put my ball in the position that I can make an easy birdie.”
Thitikul is at 15 under, and if she gets win No. 3, it would move her to No. 1 in the world. In fact, a solo fourth or better would elevate her to the top spot.
“To be honest, I don’t really care about the ranking, she said. “I don’t really care to be like No. 1 in the world at all because I play golf because I want to take care of my family. I want to feed my family. Whatever I am is fine. Even my family, they have a good life already. Ranking is not that important for me for real.”
Jin Young Ko, who is the current No. 1 and the defending champion of the event, withdrew before the third round. She was in last place (80-79) coming off an injury.
Lydia Ko, who’s at 14 under after a third-round 66, is increasing her case to win the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average. But it’s safe to say even she’s impressed by how the teenager has been dominating on tour.
“The golf at that Atthaya has been played has been absolutely amazing, and I think she’s going to run to be World No. 1,” Ko said.
Yet the field is chasing Thitikul, who’s closing in on becoming the top-ranked female golfer in the world. But ask Thitikul, and the possible achievement is just a number.
“I mean, to be honest, I don’t really care about the ranking. I don’t really care to be like No. 1 in the world at all because I play golf because I want to take care of my family,” Thirikul said. “Ranking is not that important for me for real.”
She won nine times on the LPGA, including the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, and ranked as high as No. 2.
The first time Na Yeon Choi missed the cut on the LPGA as a member (after 63 starts), her mom suggested that she go to the grocery store and buy a carton of eggs. Then she told her to throw them. Choi hurled eggs at the wall until she felt better, and then cleaned up the mess.
She told that story more than a decade ago without the aid of an interpreter. Choi was so committed to learning English in those early days that the South Korean hired a tutor to circle the globe.
She took her freedom a step further when she asked her parents to go back to South Korea and support her from a distance. In a way, this unusual act of independence made Choi a bit of a pioneer among her peers, who mostly traveled with family.
The decision came in her second year on tour after Choi found herself crying in a bathroom after a top-10 finish. Choi’s well-meaning parents kept quizzing her on what went wrong that week. She yearned for independence.
“My dad was like, ‘How dare you? I sacrificed my life for you, and you’re playing the LPGA,’ ” Choi once told Golfweek. “I want to see you win.”
Choi did win a few months later, and then cried about the fact that her parents weren’t there to see it. Life on the road can be lonely and complicated. Over the years, Choi has been open and honest about her journey.
Choi Na-Yeon of South Korea waves a hand to the fans during the award ceremony of the final round of the 2010 LPGA Hana Bank Championship at Sky 72 Golf Club on October 31, 2010, in Incheon, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
After this week’s BMW Ladies Championship, Choi — who is playing on a sponsor exemption — will retire from the LPGA. She first shared the news earlier this month on her Instagram account. The 15-year tour veteran turns 35 later this month. She won nine times on the LPGA, including the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, and ranked as high as No. 2. Choi has banked nearly $11 million in her career, putting her 19th on the career money list.
“I had been considering it, so I gave myself this season and around midseason, it sort of crystalized into this decision to retire,” said Choi in a pre-tournament press conference at Oak Valley Country Club.
“There was no one single moment where I decided this was the time to announce my retirement. I have been playing for a long time and I really want to start something new as fast as I can, and what that’s going to be, I have no idea. But I have no regrets with my career as a golfer, and I’m sure that I’m probably going to end up doing something related to golf, but I’m very excited to start the second chapter.”
Choi was 10 years old when she watched Se Ri Pak win the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run. It was then that she knew she wanted to come to the U.S. to compete. She turned professional at age 16 and her parents sold both of their businesses (a gas station and restaurant) to support her.
After three seasons on the KLPGA, Choi joined the LPGA in 2008 and finished 11th on the money list in her rookie year. Toward the end of the next season, the pressure to win was almost suffocating. She met with Vision54 coaches the week of the 2009 Samsung World Championship and won that same week.
She’d go on to follow in the footsteps of Pak, winning the Open at Blackwolf Run three years later.
Na Yeon Choi of South Korea poses with the championship trophy after her four-stroke victory at the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open on July 8, 2012, at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
In her retirement announcement, Choi said she both loved and gated golf, and that she’ll miss the challenge of it.
“Looking back on my 18 years,” she wrote, “I wish I could have made more friends as I had wanted to. I was busy heading forward without looking around, making the excuse of my not-so-perfect English and being coy.
“Now I’ll cheer for all players from afar. I know that they have to go through lonely battles with themselves. Instead of just saying cheer up, I want to tell them, ‘Try to be relaxed and thankful. Be more focused on yourself and cherish and love yourself. You are always great players.’ ”
In the second half of her career, Choi battled a back injury and driver yips. She sought the advice of World Golf Hall of Famers Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon, once taking five days over the Thanksgiving holiday to pour out her soul.
Na Yeon Choi of South Korea hits a tee shot on the 10th hole during the second round of the LPGA Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club on March 20, 2015, in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
When she needed more time to heal, Choi took a medical exemption and went on a solo trip to Europe.
“She’s actually one of the only players who really listened to us,” said Mallon, who believes far too many players don’t take the proper amount of time to recover from injuries.
That’s when Choi first realized that she could have a life apart from tournament golf.
Now she’s ready to bravely step into the unknown once more. No regrets.
How out of character is the 80? She posted a tour record 16 consecutive rounds in the 60s and in late March.
Jin Young Ko’s worst round on the LPGA, an 8-over 80, came on home soil after a two-month break from the tour to nurse a nagging wrist injury. The World No. 1 posted a catastrophic 10 on the par-5 18th at Oak Valley Country Club to close her round.
The top three players in the world were grouped together on Thursday at the BMW Ladies Championship. Ko played alongside hotshot rookie Atthaya Thitikul, who posted a course-record 63 to pace the field, and No. 2-ranked Minjee Lee, who shot 70.
“Golf can be like this,” Ko told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. “Things don’t always go the way I want them to. I did the best I could. Whatever the final score is, it’s on me to accept that and to figure out where I can get better. I will try to stay positive to get ready for the remaining rounds.”
Ko told Yonhap that she didn’t want to make any excuses with her wrist, noting that her goal is to wrap up the tournament playing pain-free. She’s currently tied for 76th in a field of 78. There is no cut.
Jin Young Ko of South Korea prepares to play her second shot out of the rough on the 18th fairway during the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Country Club on October 20, 2022, in Wonju, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
After carding four bogeys in a row on Nos. 10-13, Ko lost her first drive off the par-5 18th into the trees on the left side. Her provisional bounded down a cart path down the left side before settling just below the tree line, giving the right-handed Ko no place to take a stance.
Ko missed the ball completely on her fourth shot, left-handed. After her fifth swipe at it, the ball trickled straight downhill to the path. Her sixth shot (now right-handed) found the left rough, still a good distance from the green.
The seventh shot was similarly dreadful, landing significantly left and short. She failed to pitch her eighth shot onto the green, remaining in the rough. Her ninth blow left her a putt of about 4 feet, which she converted for a 10.
Ko has made a habit of coming back strong after long breaks from the tour, but not this time.
How out of character is the 80? Consider that earlier this year she posted a tour record 16 consecutive rounds in the 60s and in late March, her streak of 34 consecutive rounds under par, another tour record, came to an end at the Chevron Championship. The streak dated back to July 2021.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to note that Ko whiffed her fourth shot and one-putted for a 10.
A 19-year-old rookie holds a one-shot lead over a 16-year-old amateur at BMW in South Korea.
Atthaya Thitikul says she’s not thinking about awards, but her opening 9-under 63 set a tournament record at the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Country Club in South Korea and certainly added fuel to the Rolex Player of the Year conversation.
It stood in stark contrast to World No. 1 Jin Young Ko’s opening 80. Ko took two months off to heal a bum wrist and struggled mightily in her first round back, making a 10 on the par-5 18th after a wayward tee shot. She also recorded six bogeys.
“Golf can be like this,” Ko told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. “Things don’t always go the way I want them to. I did the best I could. Whatever the final score is, it’s on me to accept that and to figure out where I can get better. I will try to stay positive to get ready for the remaining rounds.”
Ko, who won this tournament last year on a different course, said she didn’t want to make any excuses with her wrist, saying her goal is to wrap up the tournament playing pain-free. She’s tied for 76th in a field of 78. There is no cut.
Jin Young Ko of South Korea prepares to play her second shot out of the rough on the 18th fairway during the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Oak Valley Country Club on October 20, 2022 in Wonju, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
In 2017, Sung Hyun Park became the first player since Nancy Lopez (1978) to win both the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award and Player of the Year award in the same season.
Thitikul looks to win her third title of the season this week at the BMW, which would make her the No. 1 player in the Rolex Rankings, overtaking Jin Young Ko. She could also ascend to the top if she finishes solo fourth or better and No. 3 Minjee Lee doesn’t win.
Thitikul’s bogey-free 63 included a hole-out for eagle on the par-4 13th from 102 yards.
“I had a great round today, really solid round today,” said Thitikul, “especially had eagles. First time I holed out in a competition round.”
Thitikul, 19, holds a one-stroke lead over 16-year-old amateur Minsol Kim, who shot 64, making seven birdies in a span of eight holes.
“When I was younger, I actually came as a gallery (member) to watch the BMW Ladies Championship, and I remember thinking that Sung Hyun Park was really cool,” said Kim. “So today to play side-by-side with her, think it was a real honor. Initially, I was really nervous (today) but after the first hole, I thought that it was quite fun, and so I wasn’t really feeling the pressure, and I was enjoying myself. I think that really helped me today.”
Jin Young Ko has made a habit of coming out strong after long breaks from competition.
Jin Young Ko returns to action on the LPGA this week for the first time since late August. Top-ranked Ko took time off to rehabilitate a nagging left wrist injury. While Ko is defending champion at this week’s BMW Ladies Championship, the event is being held at a new location: Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, South Korea.
“I was not able to practice as much as I thought I would,” said Ko of her time away, “but when I did have the time to practice, I really focused on those sessions.
“I’m really into yoga these days, and I went to the yoga center learned yoga and that helped me train on my mental side. For the last two months, basically I’ve been kind of doing that, and I’m very happy to be in the competition.”
Six of the top 10 players in the world are in the field this week, including rookie Atthaya Thitikul (2) Minjee Lee (3), Lydia Ko (5), Nasa Hataoka (9) and Hyo-Joo Kim (10).
Ko said she took plenty of breaks while practicing to protect her wrist and also took part in acupuncture treatments.
“During the past five to six weeks while I was in Korea,” said Ko, “the weather was warm and so it wasn’t so painful, but today it got a little colder. The temperature is lower and the grass is firmer, so that may impact my wrist some. But I will not give up and I will continue to do my best.”
Last year, Ko won the CME Group Tour Championship while dealing with so much wrist pain that she couldn’t even warm up before each round.
Jin Young Ko kisses the winner’s trophy after the final round of the BMW Ladies Championship at LPGA International Busan on October 24, 2021 in Busan, South Korea. (Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Ko has made a habit of coming out strong after long breaks from competition. She famously won her first LPGA start as a member at the 2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.
In 2020, Ko came back from an extended break during the COVID-19 pandemic to play her way into the CME Group Tour Championship in only four starts and win the season-ending title.
Last year, Ko skipped the AIG Women’s British Open to work on her swing and came back after more than a month away to win her first start back at the Portland Classic. She’d go on to win three more times to close out the season.
Earlier this year, Ko came back from an extended offseason to win her first start at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March.
A 13-time winner on the LPGA, Ko last cracked the top five on tour in June at the U.S. Women’s Open. She’s been ranked No. 1 for 38 consecutive weeks and 144 total.
“I would be lying if I said that there was absolutely no pressure when it comes to maintaining that ranking,” said Ko, “but I have to say I am more interested right now in practicing because I want to be more satisfied with my golf instead of the title, the No. 1 player,” said Ko. “I’m surrounded by very talented players, though I never thought initially that ranking, that title was forever.”
