'Prize Queen' Ko Jin-young: "I Didn't Even Know If I Could Participate in the Final Match"

CME Group Tour Championship Victory 'Back-to-Back Prize Money King' "Buying a House in Texas with the Winner's Prize"

Ko Jin-young is smiling brightly while holding the trophy immediately after winning the CME Group Tour Championship. Naples, Florida, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae] "I still can't believe that I won."

'Number 1' Ko Jin-young (25) was also surprised. On the 21st (Korean time), at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, USA (par 72, 6,556 yards), immediately after securing a 5-stroke victory (18-under 270) at the final event of the 2020 LPGA Tour season, the CME Group Tour Championship (total prize money $3 million), she said, "I thought I would just enjoy playing all 18 holes today," and added, "Honestly, I wasn't even sure if I could participate in the final event," expressing her unexpected winning feelings.

This year, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), her tour schedule got disrupted. Staying in Korea, she made her comeback after a year at the Pelican Women's Championship held at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, on the 20th of last month. After warming up with a tie for 34th place in her first tournament, she finished 5th at the Amundi Classic and tied for 2nd at last week's U.S. Women's Open, entering the top 70 in the CME Race to the CME Globe points and securing a spot in the final event.

Despite playing in only 4 out of 18 tournaments this year, she rose to become the 'money queen.' It is her second consecutive money title, the first since Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group) in 2012 and 2013, seven years ago. She explained, "I rested sufficiently for 10 months in Korea to adjust my condition," and added, "Since coming to the U.S., I practiced hard to participate in this tournament." She also expressed words of consolation for Kim Sei-young (27, Mirae Asset), who played alongside her for three consecutive days from the 2nd round to the final 4th round of this tournament.

Introducing, "We have played together many times in Korea and are close," she said, "But since it was a competition, I had to win, so I feel sorry for Se-young unnie." She continued, "I think I played a little better than Se-young unnie today," and added, "Se-young unnie also played a good game." Regarding the use of the $1.1 million (1.2 billion KRW) winner's prize money, she laughed, saying, "I was looking for a house in Texas, but my U.S. bank account balance is low," and added, "I think it will help me buy a house."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.