KO FOCUSED ON WHAT SHE CAN CONTROL – TODAY
The 2018 HSBC Women’s World Championship marks Lydia Ko’s third event of the LPGA season. Following her T19 finish in the Bahamas and a T31 showing in Thailand, the 20-year-old Kiwi knows that there’s still plenty of time to go in the season, but that she can only control what’s right in front of her.
“Every week is a new week and when you’re out there playing, you have to play with confidence and positivity that you’re able to play alongside the best golfers and obviously this is a tournament with a great field,” said Ko, who was the runner-up in Singapore in 2015. “So you do need to have your best game to be at the top of the leaderboard.”
The last few seasons have been ones of change for Ko, who changed coaches and caddies before the 2017 and 2018 seasons. But while the former World No. 1 has not hoisted a trophy since 2016, she is confident in her decisions.
“Even if you’re the Player of the Year, there’s always something that you feel like can improve, and I think that’s a good thing -- well, the challenging thing about golf, is that there is no perfect round,” said Ko, who is in her third week with veteran caddie Jonny Scott on her bag. “Obviously there are a lot of positives, relative things to work on. I think sometimes we get carried away about, hey, someone has had a winless year or someone has done this. But if you keep putting yourself in good position and in contention, it will happen.”
2018 GOAL FOR RYU – WINNING AS WORLD NO. 1
2017 was a banner year for So Yeon Ryu. Her playoff victory at the ANA Inspiration and another win at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship vaulted her to the top of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, a position she held for 19 weeks. She tied with Sung Hyun Park for Rolex Player of the Year honors, and also captured the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award, which bestowed upon the player with the season’s best major record.
“I did way more than I expected and because of that, actually it was really hard to set up the goals for 2018,” said Ryu, who now sits fourth in the Rolex Rankings. “Becoming No. 1, it’s a really, really cool thing. It’s a very unique experience. You cannot have that opportunity every time, so I feel really blessed that I was No. 1 for a while.”
But still, with all those accolades, Ryu has something she looks back at with regret. She didn’t win as World No. 1.
“I wish I won a tournament when I was No. 1,” said Ryu when asked her goals for 2018. “Hopefully in the 2018 season, I can play well and hopefully I can get back to the No. 1 position, and then if I’m able to get back to No. 1 position, I really want to win the tournament when I am No. 1.”
STEVE PROVENCE RECEIVES XL CATLIN VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD NOMINATION IN SINGAPORE
The XL Catlin Volunteer Service Award is a new program launched in 2018 to recognize exemplary volunteers at each LPGA tournament. Steve Provence, a three-year volunteer at the HSBC Women’s World Championship was nominated by tournament representatives and will be presented with a service award plaque during tournament week. Provence regularly helps with tournament transportation, but has also volunteered in the starter tent and the scoring tent and even served as a walking marshal. Provence, who is originally from Boston, says Mo Martin is his favorite LPGA player.
In addition to his weekly honor, Provence will join other tournament volunteers nominated throughout the year for a season-ending random drawing that will award a donation of $10,000 in the winning nominee’s name to the charity of the tournament for which the volunteer serves.
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