BMW Ladies Championship Final Day 8-Under Par Storm Shots, Playoff First Hole Winning Birdie, Lim Hee-jeong 2nd Place 'Tears'
Ko Jin-young is cheering while holding the trophy immediately after winning the BMW Ladies Championship. Photo by KLPGA
[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] It was a dramatic come-from-behind victory for Ko Jin-young (26), ranked No. 2 in the world.
On the 24th, at the LPGA International Busan (par 72, 6,726 yards) in Gijang-gun, Busan, the final day of the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship (total prize money $2 million), Ko Jin-young rallied with an 8-under-par performance to tie for the lead at 22-under-par 266 with Lim Hee-jeong (21, Korea Land & Housing Corporation). Then, on the first hole of the resumed playoff at the 18th hole (par 4), she secured the winning birdie. This marked her fourth victory of the season and 11th career win, following the Founders Cup on the 11th, with a winner's prize of $300,000 (35.28 million KRW).
For Ko Jin-young, it was especially meaningful to claim the No. 1 spot by taking advantage of Nelly Korda's (USA) rest. Another milestone was added: she became the "Korean player with the 200th LPGA Tour win." It has been 33 years since the late Ku Ok-hee, former KLPGA president, achieved the first victory at the Standard Register Classic in March 1988. A total of 48 players, including Park Se-ri (44) with 25 wins, Park In-bi (33, KB Financial Group) with 21 wins, and Kim Se-young (28, Mediheal) with 11 wins, contributed to this record.
Starting the day in second place, 4 strokes behind, Ko Jin-young collected 8 birdies. She opened the scoring early with two sets of three consecutive birdies on holes 2-4 and 7-9, and added two more birdies on holes 12 and 17 in the back nine. The highlight before the playoff was her wood shot, which landed just 1 meter from the hole, easily sealing the victory. She said, "I played comfortably with the mindset that I would finish second," and added, "After adjusting my condition for about a week, I plan to head to the U.S. to compete in the remaining two tournaments this year."
Lim Hee-jeong fought hard with a 4-under-par but settled for second place. Despite a perfect play without any bogeys over four days, she could not overcome the "Ko Jin-young wall," and her "direct ticket to the LPGA Tour" slipped away. Kim A-rim (26), Lee Da-yeon (24, Mediheal), An Na-rin (25), and Lydia Ko (New Zealand) tied for third place at 17-under-par 271, while Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group) and Yoo Hae-ran (20, SK Networks) tied for seventh at 16-under-par 272. 2019 champion Jang Ha-na (29, BC Card) finished tied for 14th at 12-under-par 276.
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