'Number 1' Ko Jin-young "I Smell the Scent of Tiger Woods"

6 Wins in 10 Tournaments "White Terror Like Woods," Consecutive Under-Par Record Surpassing Sorensen, Equipped with 'Piercing Iron Shots' and Competitive Spirit

'Number 1' Ko Jin-young has dominated the LPGA Tour by securing 6 wins in her last 10 tournaments.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "There is a scent of Woods."

This is said about Ko Jin-young (27), the world No. 1. She secured a 2-stroke victory at the 4th event of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, the HSBC Women’s World Championship, held at the Tanjong Course of Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on the 6th. It was her 13th LPGA Tour win, coming four months after the final event of the 2021 season, the CME Group Tour Championship, last November. Above all, it was a thrilling victory on her first outing this year.

She demonstrated her ‘Number 1’ power by sweeping up six wins in the last 10 tournaments. Nearly half of her 13 wins were achieved within eight months since July last year. At the HSBC Women’s, Lee Jeong-eun 6 (26, Daebang Construction) and Jeon In-ji (28, KB Financial Group), who clashed with Ko Jin-young in the champion group, were overwhelmed by Ko’s momentum and collapsed on their own. It is similar to how competitors shrink and self-destruct when the ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA) appears.

Ko Jin-young is cheering after winning the HSBC Women's World Championship, her first stage of the 2022 season.

Even when trailing, she overwhelms the leader at some point. Woods commands the field wearing a red top and black bottoms, while Ko Jin-young rules the course in white attire. Ko first rose to world No. 1 right after winning the major ANA Inspiration in April 2019. She became the fifth Korean player to do so and established herself as a new powerhouse on the LPGA Tour. She then held the top spot for an impressive 1 year and 11 months from July 2019 to June 2021.

She reclaimed the No. 1 ranking last month after losing it to Nelly Korda (USA) earlier. Ko Jin-young set a record of 15 consecutive rounds in the 60s on the LPGA Tour and continued an unprecedented streak of 30 consecutive rounds under par. Both records were previously held by Annika Sorenstam (Sweden). In 2019, she also set a ‘bogey-free’ record of 114 consecutive holes, surpassing Woods’ 110 consecutive holes.

Ko Jin-young's main weapon is her 'dagger iron shot'.

Ko Jin-young’s main weapon is her precise iron shots. Since joining the LPGA Tour in 2018, she has ranked first in greens in regulation with nearly an 80% rate. Although she finished second last year with 78.77%, the gap with first-place Lexi Thompson (78.81%) was only 0.04%. At the HSBC Women’s, her greens in regulation rate was 83.33%. She is a player with strict self-management. Last winter, she underwent over 45 days of training camp at Terralog Golf Club in Palm Springs, California.

She is a ‘practice addict’ who is not satisfied with her current position and strives to improve her skills further. Just three days after returning home following her HSBC Women’s victory, she went to the practice range to check her swing. Coach Lee Si-woo praised her, saying, "She is a really hardworking player" and "Her tenacity is amazing." Ko Jin-young said, "I heard that when Woods appears, other players get nervous," and added, "I want to be that kind of player." She will aim for her second win at the JTBC Classic starting on the 24th.