NO. 1 WATCH
Lydia Ko and Inbee Park are making things very interesting and keeping the fight for the top spot in the Rolex Rankings very close. Ko controls her own destiny with a runner-up or win this week regardless of Park’s finish in Korea. Park is currently tied for fifth at the KLPGA’s event through two rounds.
CLIMBING INTO HIGH COMPANY
Lydia Ko has a shot at her 10th LPGA Tour win this week and seeing Ko in the winner’s circle has become commonplace to LPGA fans. But to put Ko’s ascension to greatness in perspective this week, only four players in the elite field in Taiwan have more career wins than Ko and have all been on Tour at least seven seasons. Ko is nearing the end of just her second year as a Tour member. With a win this week, she would move into a tie for 47th on the all-time win list with Paula Creamer and smash the age record for fastest to 10 victories by nearly 3 1/2 years, currently held by Nancy Lopez at 22 years, 2 months, 5 days.
TEENAGE DREAM
Xi Yu Lin and Charley Hull are near the top of the leaderboard through two rounds and have a good shot at becoming the latest teenage winners on Tour. Both 19 years old and both playing for their first career victories, Lin and Hull sit just two shots off the lead. Hull is in her rookie season and Lin is in her second year. Hull said she’s in no rush to try to get a victory before her 20th birthday next March but definitely thinks her game is primed to get her into the winner’s circle. Four different players have won this year as teenagers, Hull or Lin would become the fifth this week and join Minjee Lee, Hyo Joo Kim, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson.
“It would be wicked if I got a win but at the end of the day, I have plenty of years ahead of me,” said Hull. “I’m in no rush. I’d like to win obviously, but I’m not going to be thinking about it too much.”
STACKED LEADERBOARD
Eun-Hee Ji is a major champ herself and admitted on Friday her nearly six-year winless drought is something she tries not to think about. But the South Korean native could make a statement win this week in Taiwan if she’s able to hold on to her 36-hole lead for two more rounds. Ji has a dangerous pack of pursuers and in the eight players that trail her, five are major champions and six are LPGA Tour winners.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
5 – Only 5 events left on the LPGA Tour schedule including this week’s tournament in Taiwan
3 – There are 3 teenagers in the top-3 on the leaderboard: Lydia Ko - 18 years old (T2), Charley Hull - 19 years old (T3) and Xi Yu Lin – 19 years old (T3)
4 – There have been four teenage winners on Tour this year: Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Hyo Joo Kim
154 – Eun-Hee Ji has made 154 starts including this week since her last victory at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open
66 – Suzann Pettersen shot the low round of the day and matched Eun-Hee Ji’s first round score for the low round of the tournament through 36 holes
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