Hong defends first-ever LPGA title at Hana Bank • KOLON Championship

Hana Bank • KOLON Championship

LPGA Tour Rookie Jin Joo Hong returns to her native South Korea to defend her 2006 LPGA title at this week's Hana Bank • KOLON Championship. She and 21 other South Korean LPGA players are among 69 golfers who return to Mauna Ocean Golf & Resort, kicking off the first of three LPGA tournaments in Asia.

Hong won last year's event as a member of the Korea LPGA (KLPGA), becoming just the 15th non-LPGA member in Tour history to win an LPGA event. In doing so, she also became the fourth KLPGA member to win the tournament since a champion was first crowned in 2002.

Hong has four top-20 finishes in 19 events played on Tour in 2007 with $127,433 in earnings. Like Hong, 2005 champion Jee Young Lee also recorded her first LPGA victory at the tournament to earn her LPGA membership. Lee owns nine top-10 finishes in 21 events played this season and passed $900,000 in season earnings after a tie for sixth at the Samsung World Championship in Palm Desert, Calif., last week. She also finished no worse than a tie for 13th in the four LPGA majors in 2007. LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member Se Ri Pak (2002) and 2004 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Shi Hyun Ahn (2003) round out the past champions in the field.

Rolex Rankings number one Lorena Ochoa—fresh off her 16th career victory—returns to South Korea for the first time since tying for fourth place at the 2004 CJ Nine Bridges Classic. Ochoa has seven victories in 2007 after successfully defending her 2006 title at last week's Samsung World Championship. Ochoa has finished no worse that a tie for third in each of her last seven tournaments (four wins, runner up and two ties for third). In fact, through 21 starts in 2007, Ochoa outdistances fellow Tour members with 19 top-10 finishes and 16 top-5 finishes.

Na-Yeon Choi, the medalist at the LPGA Sectional Qualifying Tournament in Venice, Fla., Oct. 2-5, will try to become the 16th non-LPGA member to win an LPGA event.

(Photos by JNA)