The LPGA Tour heads to Incheon, South Korea for its third stop during the five-week fall Asia swing. A 78-player field will compete over three days on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf Club for the 12th staging of the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship with a $285,000 first-place check on the line. Queensland&aposs Katherine Hull-Kirk is the only Australian in the limited field event. Rolex Rankings No. 2 Suzann Pettersen will be seeking the first of two straight title defenses during the Asia swing, with the second coming next week at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship. The 32-year-old has produced a stellar 2013 season so far with 12 top-10 finishes including three victories. Her season seems to be hitting its peak now as she captured back-to-back titles at the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola and the Evian Championship last month. Pettersen s first win of the 2012 season came in Korea following four top-10s. The 11-year LPGA Tour veteran said that her game is always in great shape during the fall s Asia swing. Something just seems to appeal for me quite well [in Asia], said Pettersen. I mean, this is usually a good time of the year for me. I usually have a strong fall. This year the kind of strong performance came a little earlier than it usually does, so hopefully I can keep it going. A total of 35 Korean players, including 12 members of the Korean LPGA, will be playing in front of a home crowd this week with No. 1 Inbee Park being the fan favorite to win. She will be welcomed home by the roaring crowds in South Korea as she looks to end her mini winless-streak, having not captured a victory since the U.S. Women’s Open in June. Park s impressive season includes six tournament wins, three of them being major championships, and she currently tops the season s money list with $2,320,246. With five tournaments left on the LPGA Tour schedule, Park will be looking to strengthen her lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race as she attempts to become the first South Korean to win the award. The LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship is set for October 18-20 and will be featured on Golf Channel all three days with coverage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST each round.
Author: LPGA