Ko and Ryu look for No. 2 at first major of the LPGA season

Two former Korean champions Ko Jin-young and Ryu So-yeon are looking to repeat their success at the Chevron Championship, the first major of the season, as the tournament moves to a new home at the Club at Carlton Woods in Texas on Thursday

Ko Jin-young, center, jumps into Poppie's Pond after winning the ANA Inspiration — now called the Chevron Championship — at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California on April 8, 2019. [LPGA]

Two former Korean champions Ko Jin-young and Ryu So-yeon are looking to repeat their success at the Chevron Championship, the first major of the season, as the tournament moves to a new home at the Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas on Thursday.

Ko — the highest-ranked Korean golfer at No. 3 on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings — is looking to win her second LPGA tournament of the season.

The world No. 3 won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March, but has not come close to winning another competition since. She tied for 25th at the DIO Implant LA Open — the latest LPGA event she competed in earlier this month.

Ko then opted to skip the Lotte Championship last week in preparation for the Chevron Championship. As a major, the Chevron Championship attracts an extremely competitive field, including world No. 1 Lydia Ko, No. 2 Nelly Korda, No. 4 Atthaya Thitikul and No. 5 Minjee Lee. All five top golfers opted to sit out the Lotte Championship.

First established in 1972 and elevated to major status in 1983, the Chevron Championship is one of the LPGA tour’s five major championships, flagship tournaments organized by the world's biggest golf organizations. The Chevron is the major organized directly by the LPGA, and former champions include prominent figures like Hall of Famer Park In-bee in 2013.

World No. 6 Lexi Thompson is another former winner, and is competing again this year to try and regain her title. Park is not competing since she is pregnant.

Other former champions in the field are: 2022 winner Jennifer Kupcho, 2021 Patty Tavatanakit, 2018 champion Pernilla Lindberg, 2017 champion Ryu, 2009 and 2015 champion Brittany Lincicome and 2011 champion Stacy Lewis.

Ryu has struggled in LPGA events recently, with her last LPGA title coming from the Meijer LPGA Classic in June 2018.

Ryu failed to display her best performance at the LA Open — her latest LPGA event — as she did not even make the cut.

Ryu So-yeon plays her shot from the second tee during the first round of the DIO Implant LA Open at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, California on March 30. [AFP/YONHAP]

Ryu and Ko will compete alongside 14 other Korean golfers — Kim Hyo-joo, Kim A-lim, Ryu Hae-ran, Jenny Shin, Lee Mi-hyang, Lee Jeong-eun6, Choi Hye-jin, Amy Yang, Kim Sei-young, An Na-rin, Ji Eun-hee, Chun In-gee, Park Sung-hyun and Choi Chella.

The change of venue for this year's Chevron Championship also means the end of one of the oldest traditions in LPGA golf — the ceremonial dunk into Poppie's Pond for the winner of the tournament and their team. With the pond left behind in Rancho Mirage, California, this year's tournament marks the first since 1988 without the traditional jump.

But despite the lack of Poppie's Pond, the traditional will continue at the Club at Carlton Woods this year, with organizers dredging a corner of the lake that sits next to the 18th green to serve as a new jump site.

Kim A-lim will be the first Korean to tee off at 7:15 a.m. on the first hole with Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Canada and Lindsey Weaver-Wright of the United States.

Ryu So-yeon will then start at 12:59 p.m. on the 10th hole alongside Lilia Vu of the United States and Nasa Hataoka of Japan, followed by Ko Jin-young on the same hole at 1:10 p.m. who is teeing off with Jennifer Kupcho of the United States and Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand.

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