Jin Young Ko wins maiden LPGA Tour title in South Korea
Sunday 15 October 2017 13:09, UK
Jin Young Ko recovered from a nervy start to clinch her maiden LPGA Tour title with a two-stroke victory at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in Incheon.
Ko saw her overnight two-shot lead wiped out when she bogeyed two of the first three holes, but she responded with an excellent run of birdies before holding off fellow South Korean Sung Hyun Park down the stretch in front of record crowds.
A nine-time winner on the KLPGA Tour, Ko will now take up full membership on the LPGA Tour following her thrilling win on home soil, but she had to do it the hard way after going from two ahead to two behind in the space of four holes.
Park, the world No 2, took full advantage of Ko's poor start and birdied the second, fourth and fifth holes to hit the front on 16 under before Ko fought back with a sparkling run of four birdies in five holes from the fifth to regain the outright lead by the turn.
Park drew level with a birdie at the 11th only for Ko to reply with a nice two at the par-three 12th, and her lead doubled when Park dropped her first shot of the day at 14.
Another home favourite, In Gee Chun, stayed within striking distance in the final threesome when she birdied 14 to join Park on 16 under, and Ko and Park then traded birdies at the next.
But Ko then found herself three ahead when both her playing partners bogeyed 16, and she safely negotiated the final two holes to complete a battling 68 and ensure the first prize of $300,000.
"It's really meaningful for me, especially since a few years back when I was playing with In Gee and Sung Hyun, unwillingly and unintentionally we were kind of caught up in the media's eyes in a rivalry," Ko said afterwards.
LPGA Tour Golf
"This was a bit stressful. I think that during this event, and especially today, I really learned a lot from them. Through them, I have been able to be given the opportunity to think about how I want to play my golf going forward."
Park also signed for a 68 after a birdie at the last earned her outright second, one shot ahead of Chun (69), with Solheim Cup star Lizette Sala finishing a further two strokes adrift after mixing five birdies with three bogeys in her closing 70.
Charley Hull posted her best result of the season after she bounced back impressively from a double-bogey at the 11th, making a birdie at 12 followed by four in a row to cap a 69 which lifted her into a tie for sixth place on 14 under par.
