MIAMI, Dec 17 — Kim Sei-young still gets goosebumps when she recalls her birdie to win the 2019 LPGA Tour Championship, a title the world number two is back to defend this week in Naples, Florida.
Despite the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, Kim has built on the momentum of her US$1.5 million victory last year at Tiburon Golf Club, nabbing her first major title at the Women’s PGA Championship in November and following up with the 12th LPGA title of her career at the inaugural Pelican Championship.
The year didn’t unfold as she had expected — the virus shutdown prompting her to return to South Korea where she played some on the KLPGA tour before finally returning to the United States.
“(I) just tried to keep the same feeling,” she said, then back to the States and then play a couple of tournaments and I win the major tournament,” Kim said. “That is amazing.
“This is on of my wish list, so I’m very happy to win the major tournament last year.”
Coming off a tie for 20th in the final major of the season, the US Women’s Open at chilly, stormy Houston last week, Kim can draw on memories of her bravura finish in last year’s Tour Championship, where she rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole to edge England’s Charley Hull by a stroke.
“When I think about that, I still like (get) goosebumps,” Kim said yesterday.
Kim didn’t realise she was tied with Hull for the lead and needed the birdie to win.
“I thought even two-putt could be the win,” she said. “After the win I realised Charley was there, so it was ‘Wow.’”
Kim is among eight of the world’s top 10 in the field of 72 this week.
That includes world number one Ko Jin-young, and No. 3 Park In-bee.
Ko finished 45th in the Race to the Globe standings despite playing in just three events in 2020 — her tie for second at the US Women’s Open cementing her place in the finale.
Park arrives in Naples as leader of the Race to the Globe with eight top-10 finishes this season. That includes a Women’s Australian Open victory in February.
The 32-year-old South Korean veteran is back in the top three for the first time since September of 2018 after following two LPGA runner-up finishes with a tie for sixth at the US Women’s Open.
“I really feel like I’ve played really good golf and very consistent golf,” she said of a post-shutdown performance that has her leading the race for Player of the Year honours.
“I’m just really thankful that we get an opportunity to play this year. So many people (are) really, really struggling this year, and I’m just happy that we are out here playing and staying safe.”
Notable absences in a star-studded field are two of the year’s four major winners: Women’s British Open champion Sophia Popov of Germany and newly crowned US Women’s Open champ Kim A-Lim.
Neither Popov nor Kim was a member of the LPGA when they won their major titles, so neither earned any points toward qualifying for the Tour Championship, which was expanded this year from the top 60 in the points standings to the top 70. — AFP
