Sungjae Im and Jiyoung Ko 'Korean Duo Victory'..."Conquering PGA and LPGA Tours Simultaneously"

Im Sungjae Secures First Win of 2021/2022 Season at Shriner's Children's Open, Ko Jinyoung Reaches '3 Wins' at Founders Cup

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘Korean Players' Simultaneous Victory’.

Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) and Ko Jin-young (26) built a monumental achievement by simultaneously winning on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour on the same day. On the 11th (Korean time), Im Sung-jae surged with a 9-under-par final round at the Shriners Children's Open (total prize $7 million) held at Summerlin TPC in Las Vegas, Nevada (par 71, 7,255 yards), securing a dominant 4-stroke victory (24-under-par 260). This was his first win of the 2021/2022 season and his second career win, coming 1 year and 7 months after the Honda Classic in March last year.

Ko Jin-young recorded a 5-under-par at the Cognizant Founders Cup (total prize $3 million), which concluded early that morning at Mountain Ridge Golf Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey (par 71, 6,656 yards), achieving a commanding 4-stroke victory (18-under-par 266). This marked her third win of the 2021 season following the VOA Classic in July and the Cambia Portland Classic in September, her 10th career win, and a remarkable ‘wire-to-wire’ victory, leading from start to finish.

Korean players' simultaneous victories have occurred three times in history, each with a one-day difference. In October 2005, K.J. Choi (51, Chrysler Classic) and Hee-won Han (43, Office Depot Championship) saw the LPGA Tour delayed due to bad weather. In October 2006, K.J. Choi (Chrysler Classic) and Jin-joo Hong (38, Hana Bank Championship) competed when the LPGA Tour was held domestically. In March 2009, Yang Yong-eun (49, Honda Classic) and Ji-ae Shin (33, Singapore HSBC Women’s Champions) also achieved similar feats.

Although not on the LPGA Tour, in August 2016, when Inbee Park (33, KB Financial Group) won the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil, Si-woo Kim (26, CJ Logistics) claimed the title the next day at the PGA Tour Wyndham Championship (total prize $5.6 million). After his victory, Im Sung-jae expressed joy in an interview, saying, "It is rare for Korean players to win simultaneously in men’s and women’s events, so winning on the same day is even more meaningful," and congratulated "Jin-young nuna (older sister)."

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