Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko is of course focused on her game at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, but she has something else on her mind this week in Ayrshire, Scotland, and it doesn’t involve greens in regulation or strokes gained approach.
“I love to eat sausage roll, I had already at the course, and yesterday I had two,” said the 27-year-old Korean. “2019 at the pro-am at AIG, I didn't know about sausage roll but (Dave Brooker, her caddie) told me that it’s one of the best bread in Scotland. I had one bite with the brown sauce...so good. And then, today I played with someone, and then he told me haggis roll will be nice.”
Ko finished in a tie for eighth at last week’s Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major on the LPGA Tour schedule, and while earning her 18th top-10 finish over the last two seasons was nice, she felt like her putting let her down. To remedy her woes with the flat stick, Ko made sure to work extra hard on her putting ahead of her second start in the Scottish Open, even coming back to the practice green late Wednesday night to get in a few more reps.
“Last week, the greens were a little tricky because like greens are like crumpled paper, so it was harder to read the breaks,” Ko said. “This week is flatter than last week, but I need to get more confidence from the putting. So I practiced a lot for putting last week, and yesterday I practiced over three hours maybe.”
While Ko’s attention will be locked in on Dundonald Links this week, Muirfield and the AIG Women’s Open – the final major of the 2022 LPGA Tour season – beckon. The world No. 1 hasn’t captured a major title since the 2019 Amundi Evian Championship, but Ko isn’t too worried, choosing instead to focus on playing as well as she can every time she tees it up.
“After last week, my friends told me, yes, you are World Ranking No. 1, but it doesn't matter,” said Ko. “You need to win, and that's why I practice so long for putting. I don't have pressure on myself. I don't have nothing. I'm just human, so I want to play well.”
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