An English proverb touts the virtues of patience with the old refrain: ‘Good things come to those who wait.’ And for some, that wait can go on. And on. And on and on, only to provide a satisfying reward after what can seem like an endless delay that tests both resolve and fortitude.
In her 10th attempt, Hyo Joo Kim captured the LOTTE Championship on Sunday. As one of a handful of players who has played every time the Tour has teed it up in Hawaii, Kim grew in her determination over the last decade to add her name to the trophy that bears her longtime sponsor’s name.
Through the years, Kim had twice cracked the top 5, but in anticipation of the Tour’s return to Hawaii, she amped up her preparation in an effort to improve her chances of finally earning her breakthrough win.
“The records are not as I expected, as I would expect, and it was a little sad personally for me,” Kim said about her prior results in Hawaii. “However, I prepared a lot for this year's championship so it's all the more meaningful and special for me to win this championship this year.”
As the Tour makes its move stateside for back-to-back weeks in California, it will be Brooke Henderson, the defending champion of the DIO Implant LA Open, who will have her patience tested.
Thursday, Henderson returns to action in Los Angeles after withdrawing, due to illness, from the LOTTE Championship. It seemed likely that the Canadian would earn her first win of the season in Hawaii as Henderson returned to the island playing some of the most consistent golf of the season having finished no worse than 13th in her first six starts of the year. But an opening round of 74, combined with not feeling 100 percent, sent Henderson packing along with her hopes of a three-peat.
But the 24-year-old will get another shot at a repeat when she returns to Los Angeles. In fact, it’s something Henderson has done quite often in her career. Twice she has successfully defended her title - in Portland and Hawaii - and has won multiple times in Michigan. When Henderson finds a venue she likes, she tends to win again and again.
“I’m excited to get back to a place with so many special memories,” Henderson said about her trip back to Wilshire Country Club. “Hopefully, I can play well again this year and repeat what I did last year.”
The long wait to win again can seem endless, and it's one Henderson endured during the COVID-shortened season of 2020. That year, the young Canadian went without a victory for the first time in her six seasons on the LPGA Tour. Her return to the winner’s circle in Los Angeles was made all the sweeter in that it not only ended that winless drought but marked her 10th career victory on the LPGA Tour. And with it, she made history by becoming the winningest golfer in Canada’s history.
In 2021, Henderson carded a final round 67 to pull out a one stroke victory ahead of Jessica Korda and a pack of major champions in Hannah Green, So Yeon Ryu and Jeongeun Lee6. Henderson will need another strong performance to hold off the strong field that is gathered again at Wilshire Country Club. World No. 1 Jin Young Ko makes her first start since The Chevron Championship and fourth start of the year. Danielle Kang, who also withdrew from the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii, returns in a bid for her second win of the season. Leona Maguire and Jennifer Kupcho, who are already winners in 2022, are also in the field.
As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Kim knew a thing or two about biding her time. While Henderson didn’t have to wait nearly as long as Kim to return to the winner’s circle, she once again finds herself in a holding pattern as she anticipates all the elements of her game coming together in the right place, at the right time, in order to win once more on the LPGA Tour. It’s just a matter of time.
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