'200 Wins Milestone' Ko Jin-young: "It Was a Great Fortune and I Was Lucky"

Korean Player Reaches 200 Wins at BMW Ladies Championship, 3 Wins in Last 5 Tournaments "Looking Forward to a Big Year-End Party"

Ko Jin-young is being showered with congratulatory water immediately after winning the BMW Ladies Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "It is an honor to be the owner of the 200-win record."

‘Number 2’ Ko Jin-young (26) expressed her feelings immediately after completing a dramatic come-from-behind victory at the BMW Ladies Championship (total prize money $2 million) on the LPGA Tour held at LPGA International Busan (par 72, 6,726 yards) in Gijang-gun, Busan. The total of 200 wins by Korean players is a history spanning 33 years since the late Ku Ok-hee, former chairperson of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA), achieved the first victory at the Standard Register Classic in March 1988.

"Winning the 200th victory at a tournament held in Korea is a great fortune and I think I was very lucky," she cheered. "It wasn’t something I aimed for, but by working hard, I was able to reach 200 wins." She has shown an incredible upward trend with 3 wins and 1 runner-up finish in the last 5 tournaments she entered. Expanding the scope to include the VOA Classic in July, where she earned her first win of the season, she has 4 wins and 1 runner-up finish in 7 tournaments. She also reclaimed the ‘Number 1’ spot from Nelly Korda (USA) after 4 months since late June.

She experienced a slump in the first half of this year, sometimes referred to as a ‘golf puberty.’ "My grandmother passed away early this year, which was very difficult," Ko Jin-young revealed. "I cried so much that I only slept 3 to 4 hours a day," and confessed, "I felt a sense of doubt about golf, thinking ‘My grandmother passed away, so what am I doing here?’" She recalled, "Still, believing that time is the best medicine, I practiced hard and my passion for golf revived, allowing me to win from July."

Her poor performance at the Tokyo Olympics in August turned out to be a blessing. "My performance was so bad that I decided to reorganize my swing," she said, adding, "I went to the practice range at 8 a.m. and just went back and forth between the gym and the practice range until dinner." She plans to rest briefly in Korea while practicing ahead of two tournaments in the U.S. in November. "The season isn’t over yet, so it’s too early to party, but I hope to have a big party at the end of the year," she promised, "I will finish the season well."