Checking in with Lilia Vu, Jin Young Ko early in LPGA Tour season | Golf Today | Golf Channel

Amy Rogers and Beth Ann Nichols join Matt Adams and Eamon Lynch to discuss Lilia Vu’s start to the season, Jin Young Ko’s return and more LPGA Tour storylines. #GolfChannel #GolfToday #LiliaVu #JinYoungKo
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Checking in with Lilia Vu, Jin Young Ko early in LPGA Tour season | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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TIME. AND THEN FROM THERE, YOU CAN SEE THE SCHEDULE AS IT LAYS ITSELF OUT OVER THE COMING WEEKS FOR THE LPGA. >>> IT IS TIME NOW FOR A “GOLF TODAY” ROUNDTABLE AS WE WELCOME OUR GOLF CHANNEL COLLEAGUE AMY ROGERS AND GOLF WEEK SENIOR

WRITER BETH ANN NICHOLS TO GET UP TO SPEED ON ALL THINGS LPGA. AMY, IF WE MAY, LET’S START WITH YOU. LILIA VU IS THE DEFENDING CHAMPION. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF LILIA’S START TO HER YEAR? >> WELL, IT HAS BEEN A DISAPPOINTING START FOR THE

SEASON FOR LILIA VU, THE CURRENT WORLD NUMBER ONE, WHO HAS ONLY B BEEN ABLE TO BREAK 70 JUST ONCE. SHE SAID EARLIER TODAY SHE WAS A LITTLE RUSTY AFTER THE OFF SEASON, TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF TIME OFF, AND SHE SAID SHE REALLY USED THOSE FIRST TWO

EVENTS TO EVALUATE WHERE HER GAME WAS AT, WHERE SHE NEGLECTED HER GAME AND WHAT SHE NEEDED TO WORK ON GOING FORWARD. SHE SAID OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS SINCE SHE LAST PLAYED AT THE LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP, WHERE SHE FINISHED TIDE FOR

55th, SHE’S BEEN FOCUSED ON HER BALL STRIKING. SHE SAID SHE IS TRYING TO HIT THE BALL MORE SOLIDLY, TRYING TO COMPRESS THE BALL A LITTLE BIT MORE. AND SHE SAID THE FIRST FEW WEEKS WERE A WAKE-UP CALL FOR HEIR AND SHE’S FEELING BETTER ABOUT HER

GAME AND IN A MUCH BETTER SPOT AS SHE NOW PREPARES TO DEFEND THE FIRST OF FOUR TITLES BEGINNING THIS WEEK HERE IN THAILAND. >> AMY, I THOUGHT IT WAS FANTASTIC THAT LILIA WENT TO CABO DURING THE OFF SEASON WITH HER GIRLFRIEND.

SHE SAID IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE HAD TAKEN A GIRL’S TRIP. I’M NOT SURPRISED THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF RUST. BUT I HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK TO HER A LITTLE BIT AT THE TFC EARLIER THIS YEAR ABOUT EXPECTATIONS.

AND HOW SHE WAS GOING TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS AFTER SUCH A FANTASTIC YEAR IN 2023 AND SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO BE NICE TO HERSELF. SHE SAID I DON’T WANT TO DISCREDIT WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR, BUT I DON’T WANT TO MAKE

MYSELF FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO ONE UP MYSELF EVERY WEEK. YOU DID THIS LAST YEAR, NOW YOU NEED TO DO IT THIS YEAR. SHE USED THE WORD STRANGLE. I DON’T WANT TO STRANGLE MYSELF UNDER THE WEIGHT OF EXPECTATIONS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS A FANTASTIC

MINDSET AS SHE LOOKS TO FOLLOW 2023. >> BETH ANN, WASN’T THAT LONG AGO THAT JIN YOUNG KO SEEMED TO BE THE DOMINANT FIGURE IN THIS GAME. WE HAVEN’T SEEN HER SINCE SHE WITHDREW FROM THE CME TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP IN NOVEMBER WITH AN INJURY.

IS SHE HEALTHY, READY TO COMPETE? >> SHE IS. I SENT WORD DOWN THROUGH A LITTLE BIRDIE THAT ASK JIN YOUNG KO HOW SHE FEELS AND SHE SAID SHE HAD A TEST ON EVERYTHING, SHE CHECKED HER — THE DOCTORS CHECKED HER WRIST, HER KNEES,

HER SPINE, EVERYTHING, TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE WAS IN GOOD SHAPE. AND SHE IS VERY HEALTHY. SHE SPENT A MONTH IN VIETNAM GETTING READY FOR THIS SEASON WITH HER SWING COACH. SHE SAID WHEN IT COMES TO THIS YEAR, SHE WANTS TO STAY HEALTHY, THAT’S GOAL NUMBER ONE.

BUT SHE ALSO REALLY WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE IS FEELING GOOD FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR. SHE SAID SHE SEEMS TO RUN OUT OF ENERGY, RUN OUT OF STEAM. AFTER ABOUT THE FIVE-MONTH PERIOD ON THE LPGA. AND THAT SUMMER STRETCH IS SUPER

CRUCIAL WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE TABLE AS WELL AS THE OLYMPICS. THAT’S GOING TO BE HER GOAL THIS SEASON, TO WORK REALLY HARD ON THE RANGE, PUT ALL OF HER REPS IN AND THEN LEAVE IT THERE. LET IT GO, LET IT BE, AND JUST RELAX.

>> WHEN I SPOKE WITH JIN YOUNG KO’S TEAM AT THE SEASON ENDING CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, THEY POINTED TO JUST THE WEEK BEFORE WHERE SHE HAD THAT KNEE INJURY, THEY COULD POINT TO THE SPECIFIC SHOT DURING THAT FIRST ROUND THAT HAD OCCURRED.

AND THEY TOLD ME, WHICH I THINK WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTING WAS THAT THROUGH EXPERIENCING PAIN IN THE KNEE, NOT ONLY WHEN SHE WAS SWINGING, BUT WHEN SHE WAS WALKING AS WELL. SO I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT TO KEEP AN EYE

ON AS SHE RETURNS TO ACTION IN WEEK AT THE HONDA LPGA THAILAND, SOMETHING WE HAVE SEEN WITH TIGER WOODS AND HIS INJURIES AS WELL, WHERE PERHAPS HE’S ABLE TO MAKE A PERFECTLY GOOD SWING, BUT WALKING BECOMES AN ISSUE. AND SO THAT’S SOMETHING THAT

WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON AS JIN YOUNG KO RETURNS TO COMPETITION. AND 72 HOLES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. >> LET’S STAY WITH THIS THEME IF WE CAN, FOR A SECOND, ABOUT PROMINENT PLAYERS. PATTY TAVATANAKIT WAS BACK IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE AT THE

ARAMCO SAUDI LADY’S INTERNATIONAL. HOW BIG A DEAL IS IT FOR HER TO GET BACK INTO VICTORY CIRCLE? >> YEAH, THIS IS HUGE. THAT STAR POWER THAT FANS WERE CLAMORING FOR THIS PAST SEASON ON THE LPGA TOUR, LOOKING FOR SOME OF THOSE BIG NAMES TO COME

OUT AND GET THOSE BIG VICTORIES, WHAT IS HAPPENING IS IT IS HAPPENING IN FULL FORCE TO START 2024. TAVATANAKIT JOINING KORDA AND KO GETTING BACK TO THE WINNER’S CIRCLE EARLIER THIS YEAR. AND A COMMANDING SEVEN-STROKE VICTORY ON THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR THIS PAST WEEKEND.

AND IT CAME AS A HUGE SURPRISE BECAUSE WE HADN’T SEEN TAVATANAKIT WIN SINCE HER BREAKTHROUGH VICTORY AT THE CHEVRON CHAMPIONSHIP BACK IN 2021. IF YOU TOLD ANY OF US WE WOULDN’T SEE TAVATANAKIT WIN FOR THREE YEARS, WE WOULDN’T BELIEVE YOU.

SHE CAME OUT AS A ROOKIE, WENT WIRE TO WIRE, LED THAT WEEK IN DRIVING DISTANCE, AND I REMEMBER JUDY RANKIN WAS ON THE CALL AND SHE SAID THIS GIRL IS HITTING THE BALL IN PLACES I’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE AT MISSION HILLS.

SO IT IS SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE AND COMMANDING PERFORMANCE AND SHE COMES OUT, FIGHTS BACK, RETOOLS HER SWING AND IS NOW CALLING HERSELF PATTY 2.0. SHE CHANGED UP HER DIET, EXPANDED HER TEAM, AND NOW SHE IS BACK IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE THIS PAST WEEK.

IT IS NOT ONLY GREAT NEWS FOR TAVATANAKIT, WHO COULD BE A REAL STAR, BUT IT IS GREAT NEWS FOR THE WOMEN’S GAME AS WELL. >> I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. NOBODY WOULD HAVE PREDICTED WE WOULD HAVE SEEN A DROUGHT THIS LONG FOR PATTY.

I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT WHAT PLAYERS DON’T ALWAYS SHARE EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES. THEY DO HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF GOLF THAT OFTEN DOES SPILL OVER INSIDE THE ROPES WHEN THINGS ARE GOING, YOU KNOW, STRESSFUL WITH

RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILY AND WHO KNOWS WHAT IT IS. PATTY HASN’T LET US KNOW, BUT JUST THE IDEA THAT IT IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT MECHANICS, IT IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT ZIS GOING ON INSIDE THE ROPES THAT MIGHT LEAD TO A SLUMP OF SORTS.

I LIKE WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT GETTING HER TEAM TOGETHER, BEING THE CEO OF PATTY