World No. 10 Park In-bee will bow out of the rest of the 2017 LPGA season in order to rest her ailing back, a source close to the player said Thursday.
Park had been scheduled to wrap up her season at the Alisports LPGA in Beijing starting Oct. 5, but the tournament was abruptly canceled earlier this month. Park will sit out the rest of the LPGA's annual Asian tour, which includes a stop in South Korea in mid October, and will also skip the season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship, in November.
Park, a seven-time major champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, hurt her back at the Ricoh Women's British Open in early August and aggravated the injury while traveling to Canada for the Canadian Pacific Women's Open. She withdrew from that tournament and also missed last week's Evian Championship, the last major tournament of the season.
In this file photo taken on Aug. 11, 2017, South Korean golfer Park In-bee watches her tee shot at the 10th hole during the first round of the Jeju Samdasoo Masters on the Korea LPGA Tour at the Ora course on Jeju Island. (Yonhap)
According to the source, Park has been resting and getting treatment in South Korea.
"Park has recovered and the injury isn't serious," the source added. "But she'll take some time off and get ready for next season."
However, the LPGA Hall of Famer will actually enter the Korea LPGA Tour event next month. Starting Oct. 19, Park will tee off at the KB Financial Group Star Championship. KB Financial Group is Park's main corporate sponsor. Then from Nov. 24 to 26, she will host her own tournament, the ING Life Champions Trophy, a competition between South Korean players from the LPGA and the KLPGA tours. (Yonhap)
