'5-win Champ' Ko Jin-young "Overcoming Slump to Become the Strongest"

Early Season Struggles and No Tokyo Olympic Medal, Late-Season Turnaround with Final Victory After 'Intensive Training' "Still Many Areas to Improve"

Ko Jin-young is celebrating with caddie David Brooks after securing the victory on the final day of the 2021 season finale CME Group Tour Championship. Naples, USA = Getty Images/Multibits Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "I think I went through a 'golf puberty'."

This is a confession from Ko Jin-young (26). Right after her belated first victory at the VOA Classic in early July, she said, "I also felt a sense of doubt about golf." She won the CME Group Tour Championship last December, and despite playing in only four tournaments, she claimed the 2020 season's money title. Although she started as world No. 1, she struggled to win. In early March at the Drive On Championship, she was cut. She showed signs of a slump early in the season.

Around that time, she went through a difficult period due to a family bereavement. Because of COVID-19 quarantine, she could not return home and missed seeing her grandmother's last moments. "While preparing for tournaments in the U.S., I cried so much that I only slept 3 to 4 hours a day," she recalled. "I thought, 'My grandmother passed away, so what am I doing here?'" During this emotionally turbulent time, she focused on practice, rekindling her passion for golf, and broke her win drought at the VOA Classic.

Although she somewhat overcame this with her first win of the season, a new obstacle appeared in the form of Nelly Korda (USA). She lost the world No. 1 ranking and did not achieve satisfactory results at the Tokyo Olympics in August, where she was expected to win a gold medal. She finished tied for 9th. Reflecting on Korda's rise at the time, she said, "It also became a trigger for me to increase my grit." Afterward, she spent about a month in Korea, dedicating herself to training. She practiced with coach Lee Si-woo and even changed her putter, sparing no effort.

In mid-September, at the Cambia Portland Classic, her first tournament after the Olympics, she immediately signaled a brilliant comeback by winning the title. In October, she won the Founders Cup with a 'wire-to-wire' victory and recorded 14 consecutive rounds in the 60s, matching the legendary Annika Sorenstam (Sweden). In the same month at the BMW Ladies, she achieved the milestone of '200 total LPGA Tour wins by Korean players.'

With her fourth win of the season, she reclaimed the world No. 1 spot. Although she soon lost the No. 1 ranking again to Korda, at the season finale CME Group Tour Championship, which ended on the 22nd, she secured five wins this year?the most on the LPGA Tour?and gained much more. She swept the Player of the Year and money titles, solidifying her position as the strongest player. "I was luckier than Korda," she said humbly, adding, "I still have a lot to improve."