COVID-19 Issues Keep Kim, Delacour From LPGA Tournament

Washington, Aug 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Aug, 2020 ) :Sixth-ranked Kim Sei-young, the reigning champion from South Korea, and France's Perrine Delacour will be two notable absentees when the LPGA Marathon Classic begins Thursday.

The 35th edition of the event at Highland Meadows in Sylvania, Ohio, is being played only a few minutes' drive from Inverness, where last week's return event from a five-month COVID-19 shutdown was played.

Kim, whose most recent triumph came in last November's season-ending Tour Championship, has opted to remain in South Korea due to travel concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 cases are spiking in many areas of the United States, a situation that has prevented spectators from attending this week's event or last week's Drive On Championship.

"I feel down and my heart feels heavy because I can't go to the tournament where I had one of my best memories," Kim said.

Kim had two top-10 finishes in Florida to open the 2020 LPGA season and has played in four Korean LPGA events with a runner-up effort at the Cantata Ladies Open.

Delacour, third at the Women's Australian Open in February, withdrew after her caddie tested positive for COVID-19, the only positive in the LPGA's first pre-tournament batch of tests.

The caddie has begun a 10-day quarantine while Delacour has started a 14-day quarantine. Both have been working with the LPGA and local health officials on contact tracing under US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

"After learning that my caddie tested positive despite not having any symptoms, I have withdrawn from this week's event in order to self-isolate following CDC and LPGA guidelines," Delacour said.

"I feel perfectly normal and I wanted to do the right thing. I am looking forward to be back competing as soon as it is safe to do so."Top women golfers will look to next week's Scottish Open and the Women's British Open the following week at Royal Troon. The next US event on the schedule is the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship on Aug. 28-30.

Danielle Kang, who won last week's inaugural Drive On crown at Inverness, rose to second in the world rankings, nudging ahead of third-ranked US compatriot Nelly Korda as the top-rated players in this week's field.