SINGAPORE – Cool and unflappable, Ko Jin-young strode into the Sentosa Golf Club press conference room on Feb 27 with the confidence of a two-time reigning champion.
At the Feb 29-March 3 HSBC Women’s World Championship, world No. 6 Ko will not only be chasing a trophy, but also a coveted spot in the history books.
She has the chance to join an exclusive list of players who have won the same LPGA tournament at least three times in a row. It is a feat that former top-ranked stars Annika Sorenstam, Park In-bee and Lorena Ochoa have accomplished.
“No pressure,” said Ko, herself a former world No. 1.
“Because I know I was lucky to win back to back in this tournament. If I win again this year it will be massive, but I will just do my best.”
While the South Korean could join this decorated list of players at the US$1.8 million (S$2.4 million) tournament, which tees off at Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong Course, she shrugged off the stress of being in the spotlight in Singapore.
In 2022, Ko shot 17-under 271 to finish two strokes ahead of compatriot Chun In-gee and Australian Minjee Lee. A year later, she topped American Nelly Korda by the same score and margin.
She said: “Everyone, like me, wants to win this tournament. I can’t control how they play this week, so the only thing I can control is myself.”
Hailing from a family of boxers, her battle is not with her rivals but to refine her craft – fairway finders and approach shots. And after being plagued by injury woes in the last three years, the 28-year-old admitted that her mindset has changed.
“I work really hard and if it doesn’t work sometimes, I embrace it. Golf is really hard. We need to be more patient, calm and to enjoy ourselves more.
“My goals this year are to have no injuries in the summer and to be the happiest golfer on the course.”
Meanwhile, Thailand’s 27th-ranked Patty Tavatanakit will be chasing a hat-trick of her own – as she aims to lift her third title in three consecutive weeks.
Patty ended a 34-month title drought at the Saudi Ladies International on Feb 18 and a week later, followed it up with the LPGA Thailand trophy on home soil.
The 24-year-old believes her game is steadily improving, especially off the tee and with sharper approach shots.
“The last two seasons I feel like I was always grinding. So this off-season, I took some time off to rest physically and mentally,” she said.
“Before that, I wrote down my plans and as soon as I came back from my December trip, I was just right on it like, ‘Okay, let’s start doing these things’.”
But after two gruelling weeks of golf, Patty conceded that fatigue could affect her game. She added: “I am a perfectionist.
“I don’t like mistakes, I don’t like flaws, I don’t like little blemishes. I feel like I’m at the point now, third week in a row, my body is not at 100 per cent.
“The mindset going into this week is probably just to embrace the difficulties of the little things coming along and just hold my head up high and accept the challenge.”
Other notable golfers from the 66-strong field include China’s world No. 4 Yin Ruoning, who will be making her HSBC Women’s World Championship debut.
The 21-year-old said: “I think I can win on any golf course. If I can put the ball in the right positions, I can have a good shot.”
Lee, the runner-up in 2022, added: “Obviously this is a big year with the Olympics coming up. But this is my first event (of 2024), so I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself.”
