HSBC Women's Champions Wednesday's Pre-tournament Notes

HSBC Women’s Champions
Sentosa Golf Club – The Serapong Course
Singapore
Wednesday Pre-Tournament Notes
March 4, 2015

World No. 1 Lydia Ko is looking for her third win in as many weeks at this week’s HSBC Women’s Champions. Ko has won each of the last two tournaments she has played in, the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open two weeks ago and then her national championship, the Women’s New Zealand Open this past week.

“I have had such a great last two weeks, so obviously there’s expectation,” Ko said of her expectations this week. “You’re world No. 1 and a lot of people think you should win every week because you are, but that’s really not the case. Hopefully I’m going to keep myself cool. I think that’s a big thing here. You can be playing good golf and then just the heat gets to you and start making a couple mistakes.  I think I’m going to keep myself cool, try and have some fun. I know that there are some birdie opportunities, but there are some really tough holes out there, so try and balance everything out. “

Her goal for career is a simple one - become one of the world’s best female golfers. 

“Just become world No. 1, hearing it, it’s pretty exciting stuff,” Ko said of the start to her season. “But when I’m out there, I’m not really thinking about it. It’s always been my dream and hopefully I can become one of the world’s greatest female golfers, and I’m right there.  Obviously I have a lot of things to work on still and you know, it’s an exciting time.”

Ko, who now has now won 10 career professional events, is still just 17-years old. She has played in 45 Jiyai Shin was 19 years old when she won her 10th career professional event, Nancy Lopez was 22, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were each 24 years old when they hit the mark and finally Annika Sorenstam was 25. Once again, Lydia Ko finds herself atop most leaderboards and well on the way to setting all LPGA records.

Ko has played in 45 LPGA events in her young career and has yet to miss a cut and has 25 top-10s. She has earned $2,404,930 in her career compared to fellow young winner Lexi Thompson who has earned $2,814,323 in 96 starts, 77 cuts made.

Here is a list of the LPGA’s Youngest Winners and Lydia Ko holds six of the top eight spots on the list.

Lydia Ko, 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open (72-hole event) at 15 years, 4 months, 2 days *not a member of the LPGA
Lydia Ko, 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open (72-hole event) at 16 years, 4 months, 1 day  *not a member of the LPGA
Lexi Thompson, 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic (72-hole event) at 16 years, 7 months, 8 days
Lydia Ko, 2014 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic (72-hole event) at 17 years, 3 days
Lydia Ko, 2014 Marathon Classic (72-hole event) at 17 years, 2 months, 26 days
Lydia Ko, 2014 CME Group Tour Championship (72-hole event) at 17 years, 6 months, 30 days
Lydia Ko, 2015 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open (72-hole event) at 17 years, 9 months, 29 days
Marlene Hagge, 1952 Sarasota Open (18-hole event) at 18 years, 14 days

THIS WEEK
The LPGA Tour is in Singapore this week for the HSBC Women’s Champions, highlighted by a field that includes 19 out of the top-20 in the Rolex Rankings. At last year’s HSBC Women’s Champions, Paula Creamer sank what may have been the putt of her career to clinch her 10th career LPGA victory. Creamer drained a 75-foot eagle putt on the second sudden-death playoff hole to defeat Spain’s Azahara Munoz. “The putt heard round the world” was one of the most exciting finishes in golf last year and we will certainly see the finish on highlight reels for years to come.

WHO HAS WON the HSBC Women’s Champions (*Won in a playoff)

RESPECT FROM HER IDOLS
Still just a teenager, Lydia Ko is as respected as any other golfer on Tour.

After her back-to-back wins, her Twitter feed was flooded with congratulatory messages from fellow players including Azahara Munoz (@AzaharaGOLF) who said “Should I just have a schedule tweet that goes to u every Sunday @Lko424?? congrats girl.... So happy for u!! Such a good girl”

At the pro-am party last night, some of the players had some fun with Lydia’s “professional photo face” and posted the photo on social media.

“It’s awesome, because they are all my idols and just going back to two, three years ago, I saw them on TV and magazines and I’m like, man, hopefully one day I can come out there and playing alongside them,” Ko said of her fellow players on the LPGA Tour. “And Michelle has been one of my idols. And to play alongside her tomorrow, it’s exciting. You know, just be able to hang around them, do the fashion show like yesterday, it’s really cool.”

BRITISH IS THE GOAL
Inbee Park has won three of the five majors but coming into 2015, she had one goal in mind and that was to walk away with the RICOH Women’s British Open trophy in her hands.

“My main goal was winning the British Open,” Park said. “That would be my dream until I retire, until I get that win.” 

Park has three top-10 finishes at the RICOH Women’s British Open, including two top-five finishes but she’s ready for a better outcome this year.

“Every British Open I’ve played the last couple years, I had so much pressure on myself,” Park said. “So this year my main goal would be getting the pressure off a little bit and just playing like a normal tournament, which is going to be hard.”

ROLEX PROJECTIONS
Lydia Ko will remain the No. 1 player in the world regardless of the outcome of the HSBC Women’s Champions.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
7 - Number of different winners at the HSBC Women’s Champions
8 - This is the eighth edition of the HSBC Women’s Champions, which began in 2008
10 -Number of professional wins for Lydia Ko
18- There are 18 players from South Korea in the field this week
20- There are 20 players from the U.S. in the field this week, the most of any of the 20 different countries represented
33- Number of official events in 2015, up from 23 in 2011
48- Rolex Player of the Year points for Amy Yang, who leads Lydia Ko by two points
62 million (USD)- The total purse money in 2015, up from $41.4M in 2011
69.75 - Lydia Ko’s scoring average this year, which leads the Tour
70 - Birdies for Amy Yang in 2015, which leads the Tour
285.4 - Driving Distance Average for Yani Tseng, which leads the Tour
410- Number of live televised hours in 2015, the most in LPGA history

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’ve been in the No. 1 spot and No. 2 spot before, and it’s a lot more relaxing position I would guess. You don’t have as much pressure as No. 1, and I mean, people probably expect a little bit less from you being in the No. 1 spot. But I’m trying to play the same game when I was No. 1, and I’ve experienced that before and I feel like I’m mature and I feel like I’m ready for the position.”  - Current No. 2 Inbee Park explaining the difference in pressure of being No. 2, compared to No. 1 in the world