Kim Hyo-joo looks to retain her title at LPGA Lotte Championship

Kim Hyo-joo teed off at Hoakalei Country Club in Hawaii on Wednesday to defend her title at the LPGA Lotte Championship alongside a competitive 144-strong field.

Kim Hyo-joo plays her shot from the 17th tee during the final round of the DIO Implant LA Open at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, California on April 2. [GETTY IMAGES/YONHAP]

Kim Hyo-joo teed off at Hoakalei Country Club in Hawaii on Wednesday to defend her title at the LPGA Lotte Championship alongside a competitive 144-strong field.

Kim, who won the competition last year, is the most notable name among the 16 Korean golfers competing.

“I won the championship last year, and since then a lot of people have approached me and they said that I hope you will win again this year,” Kim said during a pre-game press conference on Monday. “So I will play hard as much as I can to live up to this expectations, but I just personally love playing in this championship and in Hawaii.”

The 27-year-old Korean golfer has been on the rise, displaying improvements so far this year.

Kim’s first LPGA tournament this season was the Honda LPGA Thailand in February, where she tied for 10th place. She then tied for eighth place at the HSBC Women’s World Championship last month, followed by a joint third finish in the DIO Implant LA Open earlier this month.

Two former champions of the Lotte Championship are joining the field to reclaim the title: Two-time champion Brooke Henderson of Canada and Cristie Kerr of the United States.

Henderson is the only golfer to win the 11-year-old LPGA event twice, in 2018 and 2019. Kerr won the title in 2017.

Henderson, ranked seventh on the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings, is the highest-ranked golfer competing in the event. No. 8 Celine Boutier of France, No. 9 Kim and No. 10 Georgia Hall of England are the only other top-10 golfers competing.

World No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, No. 2 Nelly Korda of the United States, No. 3 Ko Jin-young of Korea, No. 4 Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, No. 5 of Minjee Lee of Australia and No. 6 Lexi Thompson of the United States all opted to skip the Hawaii swing ahead of the Chevron Championship — the bigger event scheduled on April 20.

No. 11 Chun In-gee is also looking to win her first LPGA tournament since last June, when she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Chun In-gee plays her shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Apache Junction, Arizona on March 25. [GETTY IMAGES/YONHAP]

“I wish I can make another win on the tour, so I always try my best, and now I want to make good focus on this week then we’ll see where I am later,” Chun said on Monday.

The 14 other Korean golfers joining Kim in the field are Hwang You-min, Sung Yu-jin, Choi Hye-jin, Park Sung-hyun, Kim Kyung-in, Jang Hyo-joon, Kang Hae-ji, Ryu Hae-ran, Park Kum-kang, Joo Soo-bin, Lee5 Jeong-eun, Lee Mi-hyang, Hong Yae-eun and Lee Il-hee.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]