What to watch
Jin Young Ko returns to action this week in Arkansas, fresh off her ninth career victory. Ko, who spent 100 consecutive weeks at No. 1 before relinquishing the spot to American Nelly Korda last June, captured the weather-shortened Cambia Portland Classic by four strokes. It marked her first start since the Tokyo Olympics in early August.
The 26-year-old South Korean has made only 13 appearances on the LPGA this season – with two victories – but plans to ramp up her schedule for the remainder of the year with Mom and Dad in tow.
“It ridiculous, you know?” Ko said laughing. “I want to win without my parents, but this year, I had two wins with my parents. But we’ll see what’s going to happen for next three weeks.”
Other big names in the 54-hole Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers include Brooke Henderson, Lexi Thompson, Ariya Jutanugarn, Sei Young Kim, Danielle Kang and Arkansas’ Stacy Lewis, who put the university’s golf program on the map.
Next generation
As the LPGA heats up in Rogers, the Symetra Tour season begins to wind down in El Dorado, Arkansas. The Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout will be held Sept. 24-26 and is one of three remaining events on the Symetra Tour schedule. The top 10 players on the money list at the end of the Symetra Tour Championship will earn LPGA cards for 2022.
Former UCLA player Lilia Vu tops the list with $143,747, which is $48,466 more than her nearest competitor Ruixin Liu of China.