photo = AP
It was the perfect play to mark the start of the Empress’s season. Jinyoung Ko, 27, won her first tournament this season, and set the record for 15 consecutive rounds of 60 pinch hitters and 30 consecutive rounds of under-par on the US Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour. It was a play that showed why Jin-young Ko is ranked number 1 in the world.
In the final round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship (total prize of $1.7 million) held at Sentosa GC Tanjong Course (par 72, 6718 yards) in Singapore on the 6th, Koh reduced 6 shots to 7 birdies and 1 bogey to achieve a final total of 17 under par 271. hit It was a come-from-behind victory by two strokes behind Jeon In-ji (28) and Lee Min-ji (26, Australia), who competed until the last hole.
Jinyoung Ko started in tie for second place, one shot behind Jeon Inji, who led the third round on that day. He hit 69 the day before and once once more set the record for tying 60 at-bats for 14 consecutive rounds. Perhaps it was because of the burden of the new record, the game was somewhat frustrating at the beginning of the game. He made several birdie chances with sharp iron shots, but he deviated slightly from the putt and the par save continued. In the meantime, Lee Jeong-eun took 3 strokes and Atya Titikun (Thailand) reduced 4 strokes and took the lead, sometimes even tied for 5th.
Still, Jinyoung did not waver. After a long wait, she set the stage for her uptrend by catching her birdies on the 8th (par 5) and 9th (par 4) in a row. Although she seemed to falter as she recorded her bogey on the 12th hole (par 4), her characteristic backing, Jinyoung Ko, started to ignite. From the 13th (par 5) to the 16th (par 5) she went down as she caught four birdies and pushed her up to the lead like her tank. She especially showed her concentration on the 15th hole (par 3), making her birdie putts she spent 15 meters off the green.
The game was decided on the last 18th hole (par 4). A tricky hole with several bunkers surrounding the green. Jinyoung Ko and Jeongeun Lee tied for first place at 16-under, and In-ji Jeon chased following them at 15-under to start the last hole. Lee Jung-eun, who had a good shot throughout the day, missed a tee shot, followed by the second shot into the bunker and the third shot into the deep rough of the fringe. In the end, he recorded a double bogey on the hole, dropping to a tie for fourth.
On the other hand, Jinyoung Ko played sharp like an awl. She hit her tee shot right on the fairway, then grabbed an 8-iron and dropped her second shot off the 1.5 m hole. He never missed a perfect birdie chance. After calmly making a birdie putt, Ko Jin-young relaxed his face, which had been hardened all the time, and smiled brightly. It is also the moment when the championship was confirmed with a final total of 17 under par 271, and at the same time, it surpassed ‘golf empress’ Annika Sorenstam (52. Sweden). From the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship in October of last year, he set a new record by writing at-bats in the 60s for 15 consecutive rounds. Also, in the consecutive under-par division, with 30 rounds, it set the record for the longest consecutive under-par round, surpassing Sorenstam (2004) and Lydia Ko (New Zealand, 2015).
Jinyoung Ko recorded 13 victories on the LPGA Tour by lifting the trophy in her first tournament this season. After winning the CME Group Tour Championship in the final match of the season in November last year, he won two consecutive victories, proving his overwhelming performance by winning six of the last 10 competitions. The gap with World No. 2 Nelly Corda (USA), who did not participate in this tournament, was only 0.08 points, but the gap is expected to widen with this win.
Jeon In-ji also announced a perfect resurrection. After the KEB Hana Bank Championship in October 2018, the news of his victory was cut off and he suffered a slump so severe that he even thought of quitting golf at one time. However, from last year, he entered the top 10 once more and started a revival. In this tournament, the leading group competed for the championship throughout the second round, and finished the tournament in second place with a two stroke difference with the leader Jinyoung Ko by finishing the last hole on par.
The final round of the day was also a place to once once more confirm the potential of Korean women’s golf. Last season’s KODA’s winning streak led to a decrease in the number of Korean players’ wins due to the Thai players’ propaganda. However, in this tournament, the potential of Korean players was proved everywhere. The final round champion group consisted of Jin-young Ko, In-ji Jeon, and Jeong-eun Lee, all Korean players. Here, Yang Hee-young (33) and Kim A-rim (27) were tied for 6th and tied for 9th, respectively, and only 5 Korean players were included in the top 10.
On that day, Lee Min-ji, an Australian Korean, drove 11 birdies a day and cut 9 strokes to finish the match tied for second place with Jeon In-ji. The rookie tee-kun of Thai golf, a threat to Korean women’s golf, threatened the leading group by chasing fiercely with a thrilling shot feeling at the beginning of the game. However, in the second half, she lost her mind and might not further reduce her at-bats, so she was far from the championship.
Reporter Jo Soo-young delinews@hankyung.com
