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In this Associated Press photo, Ko Jin-young of South Korea watches her tee shot from the first hole during the final round of the Volunteers of America Classic on the LPGA Tour at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, on Sunday. (Yonhap) |
World No. 2 Ko Jin-young has found the LPGA winner's circle for the first time in 2021.
The South Korean star captured the Volunteers of America Classic at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, on Sunday (local time), beating Matilda Castren of Finland by one stroke.
Ko shot a final round of 69, with four birdies and two bogeys, for the total of 16-under 268 at the par-71 course.
This was Ko's first victory in 11th start this year, and her eighth overall. Ko has now recorded a victory in every season since 2017.
Ko is the third South Korean to win on the LPGA Tour this year, joining Park In-bee and Kim Hyo-joo. All three will represent the country at the Tokyo Olympics in early August, with Kim Sei-young rounding out the quartet.
Ko's two-year reign as the No. 1 player in the world ended last week, when American Nelly Korda won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for her first career major and her third win of 2021.
No South Korean has won a major this year, and prior to Ko's breakthrough, South Korea hadn't produced a winner in seven consecutive tournaments, the longest such drought in a season since 2014.
The uninspiring stretch of play dampened the country's hopes of contending for an Olympic medal in early August, and Ko's victory should quell concerns.
Ko said afterward she didn't draw extra motivation from slipping in the world rankings.
"I thought I had a lot of pressure with (being) world No. 1," Ko said in a televised interview. "I made it this week and I'm so happy. I had a lot of opportunities for birdies that I didn't make, but I still won so it doesn't matter."
Ko began the final round holding a one-stroke lead over two European players, Castren and Esther Henseleit of Germany, at 14-under. Fellow South Korean Lee Jeong-eun was lurking at 10-under.
Ko threw down the gauntlet with two straight birdies to open her day. Another birdie at the fourth took Ko to 17-under, four clear of the field.
But Ko gave back a shot with a bogey at the fifth. And Castren's birdies at the sixth and eighth cut Ko's lead to just one shot at the turn.
Ko took a two-stroke lead with a birdie at the 10th, only to drop back to 16-under with a bogey at the very next hole. Castren stayed in the hunt at 15-under with three straight pars to begin the back nine.
Henseleit put some pressure on her two playing partners with birdies at the 11th and 12th, which moved her to 14-under.
Both Ko and Henseleit pushed their tee shots to the right of the 14th fairway. Ko still had a decent angle to the green from the rough and saved par, while Henseleit walked away with a double bogey -- her second of the day -- to take herself out of contention. Castren failed to take advantage and settled for par to stay one behind Ko.
As the final trio scrambled around the 14th green, Lopez collected her third straight birdie at the 17th to climb to 15-under.
Castren blinked on the 15th hole with her first bogey of the day, while Ko saved par to take a two-shot lead. And Lopez made her first bogey of the final round at the 18th hole to finish at 14-under.
Ko missed the green at the par-3 16th but saved par and held a two-shot advantage with two holes to play.
Castren birdied the par-5 17th to make one final push, with Ko missing a relatively short birdie putt to see her lead cut to one.
Ko found the fairway at the 18th but left her second shot well short of the hole. Castren's tee shot landed in rough and her next shot rolled past the green.
Ko sent her first putt a couple of feet past the hole, leaving herself a knee-knocker of a par attempt. After Castren putted from off the green and finished with a par, Ko sank her putt to close out the narrow win.
Ko's previous win had come last December at the CME Group Tour Championship. (Yonhap)
