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 grappled by yet another injury
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 her 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.
Three golfers facing the fate of missing the championship
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 for the last few events.
Lexi Thompson, the 2018 winner of the event, is missing the tournament as she barely finished in the top 10 and acquired zero titles. However, at the Annik’s last week, Thompson finished tied for eighth. There was a chance if she was second or third on the leaderboard. Thompson’s rank rose from 88th to 79th. That is not enough.
After taking the lead at the Annika Drive this past week, Emily Kristen Pedersen was contesting to win the event and rise in the ranking of 80. Soon after, her dream was crushed as she made a few bogeys finishing 5th. 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?
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