Ko Jin-young, Tied 3rd at 2 Shots Behind: "So Close to First Win"... Henderson Cheers "10th Career Victory"

Hugel-Air Premia LA Open Final Day: 1 Over Par Stumble, Corda 2nd, So-Yeon Ryu Tied 5th, Jeongeun Lee6 7th

Ko Jin-young is reading the putting line on the 1st hole on the final day of the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open. Los Angeles, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It was the first failure of world No. 1 Ko Jin-young (26) to win.

On the 25th (Korean time), at the Wilshire Golf Club (par 71, 6,450 yards) in Los Angeles, California, USA, the final day of the 7th event of the 2021 LPGA Tour season, the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open (total prize money $1.5 million), Ko Jin-young struggled with 1-over par and fell to a tie for 3rd place (14-under 270). Brooke Henderson (Canada) shot 4-under par to secure a one-stroke victory (16-under 268). The winner's prize money was $225,000 (about 250 million KRW).

Starting the day in 2nd place, one stroke behind, Ko Jin-young made 2 birdies but also 3 bogeys. She recovered a bogey on the 3rd hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 7th hole (par 3) and briefly took the lead, but consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes halted her momentum. She made a birdie on the 14th hole (par 4), but it was not enough to overturn the outcome. Her iron shots faltered, missing the green six times, and her putting count rose to 31 for the round. This was her fourth top-10 finish in five tournaments this season.

Ko Jin-young has won 10 times on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour and secured a 'direct LPGA Tour ticket' by winning the 2017 KEB Hana Bank Championship held in Korea as a non-member. The following February, she made history by winning the Australian Women's Open in her debut, a feat not achieved in 67 years. In 2019, she won four times including two majors, becoming a quadruple crown winner, and last year, despite playing only four events, she topped the money list, earning the 'money queen' title for two consecutive years as the 'number 1'.

Henderson secured the come-from-behind victory with six birdies and two bogeys. Her tee shots were outstanding, missing the fairway only once. This was her 10th career win, coming 1 year and 10 months after her victory at the 2019 Meijer Classic. Jessica Korda (USA), the 'Diamond Resorts Champion' and leader from the previous day, lost one stroke and dropped to 2nd place (15-under 269). Hannah Green (Australia) tied for 3rd, and Angela Stanford (USA) tied for 5th (12-under 272).

Korea's Yoo So-yeon (31, Mediheal) added 3-under par to finish tied for 5th. Lee Jeong-eun6 (25, Daebang Construction) shot 5-under par to climb to 7th place (11-under 273). 'Kia Classic Champion' Park In-bee (33, KB Financial Group) finished tied for 15th (6-under 278), and Kim Se-young (28, Mirae Asset) ended tied for 17th (5-under 279). The LPGA Tour will move to Asia to compete in the HSBC Women's World Championship (Singapore) starting on the 29th.

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