This year's Japan LPGA (JLPGA) Tour has been defined by an intense two-way race between Suri Sakuma and Fuka Suga. Sakuma leads the Mercedes Ranking, the tour's equivalent of player-of-the-year points, as well as the scoring average category, with Suga in second place in both. The order is reversed in the money list and top-10 finishes, where Suga ranks first and Sakuma second.
Yoo Hyun-jo, the No. 1 player in the K-Ranking, will face off against both Sakuma and Suga in a full-fledged "Korea-Japan golf showdown" at the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup, the first major of the JLPGA Tour season, which tees off Thursday at Ibaraki Golf Club in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
According to the first-round pairings announced by the tournament organizing committee on Monday, Yoo will tee off at 8 a.m. from the 10th hole alongside the two Japanese players.
Yoo, who won both the player-of-the-year and scoring average awards on the KLPGA Tour last year, struggled early this season but regained momentum by winning last week's DB Women's Championship.
Joining Yoo in the field are fellow KLPGA Tour player Noh Seung-hee and national team member Oh Su-min, who will also compete for the title. Other entrants include JLPGA Tour regulars Shin Ji-yai, Bae Sun-woo, Lee Min-young, Jeon Mi-jeong, Lee Ji-hee and Song Ga-eun.
