Ko Jin-young (;, born 7 July 1995), also known as Jin Young Ko, is a South Korean
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
who plays on the
LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...
. By age 22 years, she had won 10 times on the
LPGA of Korea Tour
The LPGA of Korea Tour is a South Korean professional golf tour for women. LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association. LPGA of Korea runs this tour, not the American LPGA. It is one of the world's five leading women's golf tours.
Based o ...
, was second at the 2015
Ricoh Women’s British Open, and had won the 2017
LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
The LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship was a women's professional golf tournament in Incheon, South Korea, co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Korea Tour and the LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for ...
.
Having become a member of the LPGA Tour for the 2018 season, she won her opening tournament in February – the
ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open
The Women's Australian Open is a women's professional golf tournament played in Australia, operated by Golf Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, long co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET). Beginning with the 2012 event, it i ...
– as only the second player in LPGA history to win in her first tournament as a Tour member.
[ With 13 top-10 finishes out of 25 tournaments played in 2018, she was named the LPGA Rookie of the Year,] and completed the 2018 season as the 10th-ranked female player in the world.
In 2019, she won her first two LPGA major
Women's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, with the women's system newer and less stable than the men's. As of 2013, five tournaments are designated as majors in women's golf by the LPGA Tour.
LPGA majors ...
championships at the ANA Inspiration
The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...
and the Evian Championship
The Evian Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as The Amundi Evian Championship, is a women's professional golf tournament in France, played at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains. It was originally held in June, mov ...
. Ko completed the 2019 season with the official money title ($2,773,894), the Vare Trophy
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...
for the lowest scoring average (69.06), and was named LPGA Player of the Year. In 2020, she won the LPGA official money title ($1,667,925) having played in only four tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and finished the season as the number one
Number One most commonly refers to:
* 1 (number)
Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song
* ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song
* ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC
* ''n.1 ...
ranked player in the world. In 2021, Ko again won the official money title and the LPGA Player of the Year.
Professional career
2013–2017
Having become a professional in 2013 at age 18, Ko won 10 times on the LPGA of Korea Tour
The LPGA of Korea Tour is a South Korean professional golf tour for women. LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association. LPGA of Korea runs this tour, not the American LPGA. It is one of the world's five leading women's golf tours.
Based o ...
over the period 2014 to 2017, winning the Nefs Masterpiece in August 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
as her first professional victory. In 2015, she was second at the Ricoh Women's British Open
The Women's Open (originally known as the Women's British Open, and still widely referred to by that name outside the UK) is a major championship in women's professional golf. It is recognised by both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour ...
. Ko won the 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
The LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship was a women's professional golf tournament in Incheon, South Korea, co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Korea Tour and the LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for ...
, after which she announced her plans to join the LPGA Tour in 2018.
2018
Ko played in 25 LPGA Tour events in 2018, missing only one cut and finishing in the top 10 of 13 tournaments. In February, she won the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open
The Women's Australian Open is a women's professional golf tournament played in Australia, operated by Golf Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, long co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET). Beginning with the 2012 event, it i ...
. For the 2018 season, the LPGA named Ko the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...
.[
]
2019
On 24 March 2019, Ko won the Bank of Hope Founders Cup
The Cognizant Founders Cup is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour in Clifton, New Jersey. It debuted in 2011 at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. The tournament is de ...
on the LPGA Tour, and on 7 April 2019, she won her first LPGA major championship
Women's golf has a set of major championships which parallels that in men's golf, with the women's system newer and less stable than the men's. As of 2013, five tournaments are designated as majors in women's golf by the LPGA Tour.
LPGA majors ...
– the ANA Inspiration
The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Fou ...
. The victory elevated Ko to number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings
The Women's World Golf Rankings, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Rolex Rankings, were introduced in February 2006. They are sanctioned by eight women's golf tours and the organisations behind them: Ladies Professional Golf Association (L ...
.
On 28 July 2019, Ko clinched her second major title of the season, firing a final round 4-under 67 in the rain to win the Evian Championship
The Evian Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as The Amundi Evian Championship, is a women's professional golf tournament in France, played at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains. It was originally held in June, mov ...
by two shots with a 15-under total of 269.
On 25 August 2019, Ko won the Canadian Women's Open
The CP Women's Open (french: Open féminin du Canada) is a women's professional golf tournament managed by Golf Canada. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since its founding in 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour. ...
in Aurora, Ontario
Aurora ( 2021 population: 62,057) is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridges ...
. She shot a tournament record −26 (262) and won by 5 strokes. She did not make a bogey for the entire 72 hole tournament. Ko went bogey-free for a tour-record 114 holes, ending her streak at the Cambia Portland Classic
The Portland Classic is a women's professional golf tournament in Oregon on the LPGA Tour. Founded in 1972, the annual event in the Portland area is the oldest continuous event on the LPGA Tour. Tournament Golf Foundation has owned the tour ...
.
Having won the season's money title and Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, Ko was named the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year for 2019.[
]
2020
On 20 December 2020, Ko won the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship
The CME Group Tour Championship is a women's professional golf tournament, the season-ending event of the LPGA Tour. It succeeded the LPGA Tour Championship, which was played for two seasons in 2009 and 2010. From 2011 to 2013 the tournament wa ...
in Naples, Florida and the LPGA Tour's money title with only four starts.
2021
Between July and October 2021 in the United States, Ko won the Volunteers of America Classic
The Volunteers of America Classic is a women's professional golf tournament in Texas on the LPGA Tour. It debuted in April 2013 at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, northwest of downtown Dallas.
Volunteers of America, the title sponsor, is ...
in The Colony, Texas
The Colony is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas. The population was 44,534 at the 2020 census.
History
The Colony derives its name from the original Peters Colony. The Peters Colony headquarters was located ...
, the Portland Classic
The Portland Classic is a women's professional golf tournament in Oregon on the LPGA Tour. Founded in 1972, the annual event in the Portland area is the oldest continuous event on the LPGA Tour. Tournament Golf Foundation has owned the tourn ...
in West Linn, Oregon
West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A southern suburb within the Portland metropolitan area, West Linn developed on the site of the former Linn City, which was named after U.S. Senator Lewis F. Linn of Ste. Genevieve ...
, and the Cognizant Founders Cup in West Caldwell, New Jersey
West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's pop ...
. By shooting 66 in her final round at the Founders Cup, she tied Annika Sörenstam
Annika Charlotta Sörenstam (; born 9 October 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 inter ...
's 16-year-old record of 14 consecutive rounds in the 60s.[ Ko's streak began in the final round of the ]Evian Championship
The Evian Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as The Amundi Evian Championship, is a women's professional golf tournament in France, played at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains. It was originally held in June, mov ...
in July, enabling two wins, a second-place finish, and a tie for sixth in the four tournaments of the streak.[
Later in October 2021, Ko won the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea for her fourth win of the year, 11th overall on the LPGA Tour, and the 200th victory on the LPGA by a South Korean.] Ko is the fifth South Korean with at least 10 career LPGA victories.[ The victory at the BMW Ladies Championship re-established Ko as the world number one in the official women's golf ranking as of October 25, but the 8 November ranking dropped her to #2, a fraction of an average point per event (9.028 to 9.032) behind ]Nelly Korda
Nelly Korda (born July 28, 1998) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour, where she has won seven times and reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings. Korda won the Olympic gold medal at the women's individual ...
, because the calculations are over a two-year rolling average.
In November 2021, Ko successfully defended her title at the CME Group Tour Championship
The CME Group Tour Championship is a women's professional golf tournament, the season-ending event of the LPGA Tour. It succeeded the LPGA Tour Championship, which was played for two seasons in 2009 and 2010. From 2011 to 2013 the tournament wa ...
in Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...
. She also won the Race to the CME Globe, Player of the Year, and topped the money list.
2022
In March 2022, Ko won the HSBC Women's World Championship
The HSBC Women's World Championship is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour first held in 2008. It was played on the Garden Course of the Tanah Merah Country Club in eastern Singapore, adjacent to Singapore Changi Airport fro ...
in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. The was her 13th career LPGA win and sixth win in her last 10 starts since June 2021.
On 31 October, without her or Atthaya Thitikul
Atthaya Thitikul ( th, อาฒยา ฐิติกุล, , ; born 20 February 2003) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. She is the youngest golfer ever to win a professional gol ...
playing in a tournament the prior week (24 October), she fell to #2 on her average points from 7.25 to 7.09, to make Thitikul (7.20 to 7.13) become the new #1 in the women's golf rankings.
Professional wins (24)
LPGA of Korea Tour wins (12)
1 Co-sanctioned with LPGA Tour
LPGA Tour wins (13)
1 Co-sanctioned with KLPGA Tour
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
Other wins (1)
*2016 World Ladies Championship
The World Ladies Championship was a golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour. It was played at the Mission Hills Haikou, China from 2012 to 2015. It moved to the Mission Hills Golf Club
Mission Hills Shenzhen is a twelve course 18-hole cou ...
- team (with Lee Jung-min)
Major championships
Wins (2)
Results timeline
''Results not in chronological order before 2022.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
T = tied
Summary
*Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (2018 Evian – 2022 Evian)
*Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (2019 Evian – 2021 U.S. Open)
LPGA Tour career summary
^ Official as of 2022 season
* Includes matchplay and other tournaments without a cut.
World rank
Position in Women's World Golf Rankings
The Women's World Golf Rankings, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Rolex Rankings, were introduced in February 2006. They are sanctioned by eight women's golf tours and the organisations behind them: Ladies Professional Golf Association (L ...
at the end of each calendar year.
Team appearances
Professional
* The Queens (representing Korea): 2015, 2016 (winners), 2017
Awards
*2018 LPGA Rookie of the Year[
*2019 LPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average][
*2019 Rolex Annika Major Award][
*2019 LPGA leading money winner][
*2019 LPGA Player of the Year][
*2020 LPGA leading money winner
*2021 LPGA Player of the Year
*2021 LPGA leading money winner]
References
External links
LPGA Tour of Korea profile
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ko, Jin-young
South Korean female golfers
LPGA of Korea Tour golfers
LPGA Tour golfers
Winners of LPGA major golf championships
Olympic golfers of South Korea
Golfers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Golfers from Seoul
1995 births
Living people
21st-century South Korean women
20th-century South Korean women