World No. 1 Yani Tseng will look to turn around a recent slump in form when she defends her LPGA title in South Korea this week against a pack of South Koreans eager to perform before their home crowd.
The Taiwanese fired a 14-under 202 in the three-round event last year, edging Choi Na-yeon by a stroke and denying the South Korean a hat-trick of straight wins in the event.
The US$1.8 million LPGA KEB-HanaBank tournament in Incheon, just west of Seoul, has proved fertile ground for local golfers, with South Koreans winning seven of the past 10 championships.
Last year, Tseng mixed long drives with some creative shot-making on the back nine in a performance that prompted Choi to declare no one would catch the Taiwanese in women’s golf for the foreseeable future.
Tseng, who won seven LPGA titles last year, appeared to pick up right where she left off early this year, winning three of her first five starts.
However, the 23-year-old has been out of sorts since, with her last top-10 finish coming in April in Hawaii.
Tseng has missed three cuts this year, after missing the weekend play only twice in 2010 and last year combined.
In the meantime, Choi and four other South Koreans have claimed seven wins, including three of the four majors.
The most recent tour winner is Park In-bee, who erased Choi’s two-shot final-round lead in Malaysia. Four of the top-10 players in the world rankings are from South Korea.
Tseng was in confident mood ahead of tee-off tomorrow at the Ocean Course of the Sky72 Golf Club.
“I always love being back here and I always play well here,” she said. “I am looking forward to this week.”