via Getty
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 23: Jin Young Ko of South Korea plays her shot on the second tee during the third round of the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open held at Wilshire Country Club on April 23, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
via Getty
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 23: Jin Young Ko of South Korea plays her shot on the second tee during the third round of the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open held at Wilshire Country Club on April 23, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The CME Group Tour Championship is the final event of the 2023 LPGA season. The Top 60 players and ties on the Race to CME Globe will play at the Tiburon Golf Club, Ritz-Carlton, Naples. The event boasts a prize purse of $7 million, the highest for any LPGA non-Major event.
With so much at stake, golfers would not want any obstacle to wander their path. However, Jin Young Ko has found another injury she needs to battle with, as she prepares to enter the fierce competition.
Past CME Group Tour champion grapples with yet another injury
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The CME Group Tour Championship is only two days away, but Jin Young Ko finds herself in the midst of a different battle to fight. Ko has always struggled with injuries. For the past two years, she has been suffering and healing from a wrist injury.
Even with the hassle of a wrist not functioning properly, the golfer has won two events this year, one at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the other at the Cognizant Founders Cup. As the 2023 season comes to an end, the World No.5 has yet another obstacle to overcome and heal from.
The 15x LPGA winner injured her left knee last week at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, as reported by golf contributor Amy Roger on X. After her injury, Ko decided to go through an MRI scan before she tees it up at the yearend event, the CME Group Tour Championship 2023 in Naples, Florida.
After dealing with a left wrist injury the past two years at the CME Group Tour Championship, Jin Young Ko is fighting a new injury this week. Ko injured her left knee during last week’s LPGA Tour event and is wearing a knee brace. Ko plans to have an MRI this week. pic.twitter.com/3nhuaeEvPw
— Amy Rogers (@TheAmyRogers) November 14, 2023
The South Korean golfer stands 5th in the Race to CME Globe rankings and is one of the top contenders for winning it. Ko has won the championship twice; in 2020 and 2021. We hope the knee injury is not severe, and she manages to recover faster to grab that third win. While Ko recovers, some key players are missing the championship altogether.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Three golfers facing the fate of missing the Ch ME Championship
The 2022 CME Globe Champion, Lydia Ko stands 101st on the Race to CME Globe list, as only the Top 60 are qualifying. She could not win any events this year. However, her performance enhanced in the last few events.
Lexi Thompson, the 2018 winner of the event, is missing the CME tournament, as she barely finished in the Top 10 and acquired zero titles. However, at The ANNIKA event last week, Thompson finished tied for eighth. There was a chance if she were second or third on the leaderboard. Thompson’s rank rose from 88th to 79th, but that is not enough.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
After taking the lead at The ANNIKA this past week, Emily Kristine Pedersen was contesting to win the event and rise in the ranking of 80. But her dream was crushed after she made a few bogeys, finishing fifth. Pedersen lost the chance of playing at the Naples. Who you will be missing out of the three? Tell us in the comments!
Watch this Story: As Her Dismal Stretch Continues, Will Lydia Ko Be Able to Maintain Her LPGA Tour Card in 2024?
