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S. Koreans tie LPGA record for single season wins at 11

July 20, 2015

Chella Choi, of South Korea, holds her trophy after winning the Marathon Classic golf tournament on the first playoff hole at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, Sunday, July 19, 2015. (Yonhap/AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

By Brian Han

When Chella Choi won her first career LPGA tournament on Sunday at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio, she also contributed to history in the making.

Her victory adds to the total of 11 LPGA Tour victories so far in the 2015 season by South Korean golfers tying the previous record set back in 2006 and repeated again in 2009.

An important detail to note is that there are still 15 tournaments to go and considering that South Koreans have won 11 of 18 events so far, there’s a very good chance that a new record will be set this year.

If the lens is widened to include South Korean-born players, New Zealander Lydia Ko’s two victories and Australian Minjee Lee’s one pushes that total to 14 of 18.

There hasn’t been one player who has been particularly dominant although rookie Kim Sei-young has shined with two victories and strong play in nearly every event she’s played including seven top-10 finishes.

That’s what makes this feat so much more impressive — that it’s spread out among a diverse group of winners all united under one nationality.

In fact there were four South Koreans in the top-10 including two in Ha Na Jang and Q Baek who have yet to win this season.

The Meijer LPGA Classic will begin on Thursday in Grand Rapids, Mich. where another South Korean Mirim Lee will defend the title.