Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko (right).
KUALA LUMPUR: Paris Olympics champion Lydia Ko and World No.1 Nelly Korda will not be participating in this week's Maybank Championships which begins at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club on Thursday (Oct 24).
Lydia, who had a remarkable season this year winning a Major at the iconic St Andrews besides the Olympics title, has decided to miss the Maybank Championships. No reason has been given for her pullout. She did play at this week's BMW Championships where she finished at the joint-seventh spot.
As for Korda, she has has been forced to pull out's LPGA's Asian Swing events in South Korea, Malaysia and Japan due to a neck injury sustained during practice.
“Hey everyone, I wanted to share an update regarding my upcoming schedule. Unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from the LPGA events in Korea and Malaysia due to a minor neck injury I sustained while practicing,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“I’m disappointed to miss these events and am especially sorry to my fans who were looking forward to seeing me play.”
Korda most recently played the Kroger Queen City Championship, Sept. 19-22, when she tied for fifth the week after the Solheim Cup.
It’s been an eventful year for the world No. 1. She captured six titles in her first eight starts this season but has gone winless since mid-May. In June, she also withdrew from an event because of a dog bite.
Korda did not state when she would return to competition. The two events in South Korea and Malaysia are part of the LPGA Tour’s Asian swing which also includes Toto Classic in Japan from Oct 31-Nov 3.
The American golfer, who is also the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist, however, may participate in Japan's Toto Classic.
Despite the duo's absence, the Maybank Championship will still feature a star studded field with the likes of defending champion Celine Boutier of France, world No. 2 Lilia Vu of United States and Australia' star golfer Hannah Green, who won the BMW Championships.
In fact, eight of the Top 10 players have confirmed their participation for the tournament at KLGCC including the likes of China's Yin Ruoning, Korea's Ko Jin-young, Amy Yang and Ryi Haeran. World No.6 Ayaka Furue of Japan are also among the early favourites for the title.
South-East Asian star Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and Mao Saigo of Japan are also right in the mix as the duo are in the race to compete for a spot in the LPGA season-ending tournament, CME Group Tour Championships.
Japan's Yuka Saso, the US Women Open champion, will also be another star to lookout for in the Championships in KL.
This year marks the second edition of the US$3mil Maybank Championship and it is considered the top women's golf event for South-East Asia region.
