The Woodlands: Former world No. 1 golfer Ko Jin-young is set to lead the South Korean players at the first major of the 2025 LPGA Tour season, taking place at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. The tournament, known as the Chevron Championship, marks the beginning of the five major events scheduled for this year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Ko Jin-young, currently ranked 11th in the world, previously won this event in 2019 when it was called the ANA Inspiration and held in California. It was the first of her two major victories, with the second coming at the Evian Championship that same year. Ko recently finished seventh at the JM Eagle LA Championship, where she shot an impressive six-under 66 in the final round.

South Korean golfers have faced challenges in recent major tournaments, failing to secure a win in both 2021 and 2023, while achieving a single victory in 2022 and 2024. Notably, no South Korean player is currently ranked in the top 10 globally, a situation not seen since June 2006. Ryu Hae-ran, who was ranked ninth, recently fell to 12th and has yet to secure a top-10 finish this season.

Kim A-lim, another South Korean golfer, leads the Player of the Year points race with 41 points, narrowly ahead of world No. 3 Lydia Ko. Kim has achieved four top-10 finishes, placing her second on the tour behind Thailand's Jeeno Thitkul. In the Rookie of the Year category, Yoon Ina holds sixth place, with Japan's Rio Takeda leading the competition, thanks to her victory and two additional top-10 finishes.

A tournament victory earns 150 points, while a major title provides 300 points. Yoon Ina was close to winning her first title at the LA Championship, beginning the final round just two shots behind the leader, but ended up tied for 16th after shooting a 73 on the last day.