Ko Jin-young's Pride Restored "2nd Place by 1 Stroke"... Alex Wins After 3 Years and 8 Months

Final Day of Newly Established Palos Verdes Championship: Lydia Ko Shoots 5 Under Par to Finish 3rd, Green 5th, Park In-bee 16th

Ko Jin-young is looking at the ball after making a birdie putt on the 18th hole on the final day of the Palos Verdes Championship. Palos Verdes Estates, USA = Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Number 1’ Ko Jin-young (27) has been through ‘hell’.

On the 24th, at the Wilshire Golf Club (par 71) in Los Angeles, California, USA, during the third day of the LPGA Tour DIO Implant LA Open (total prize money $1.5 million), she hung her head low. She had a nightmare on the 17th hole (par 4). Her second shot landed in the waterway to the left of the green and got stuck in the mud. She chose a trouble shot, but it hit the concrete wall twice and came back down, resulting in a one-stroke penalty and a ‘6 on 2 putts’. It was a quadruple bogey.

Ko Jin-young, who said "I only made a big mistake on the 17th hole," calmly stated, "This is golf," and "I have no regrets." On the final day of the DIO Implant LA Open, she also had an accident on the 7th hole (par 3). She made a ‘4-putt’ on a 1.5m birdie opportunity, resulting in a double bogey. Leading the tournament through the second round and expecting her second win of the season, she fell into a slump during rounds 3 and 4, dropping to a tie for 21st place. She said, "I will forget everything and prepare for the next tournament."

Ko Jin-young made an amazing comeback in just one week. On the 2nd (Korean time), at the Palos Verdes Golf Club (par 71, 6,450 yards) in Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA, the final day of the newly established LPGA Tour Palos Verdes Championship (total prize money $1.5 million), she shot 5 under par and finished as runner-up (9 under par 275). This was her second top-2 finish of the season since winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March.

Starting tied for 12th, 4 strokes behind the leader, Ko Jin-young collected one eagle and four birdies (one bogey). Her early-round focus was evident as she reduced 4 strokes in the first 7 holes, including birdies on the 2nd and 5th holes (both par 4) and an eagle on the 7th hole (par 5). Although she lost a stroke with a bogey on the 13th hole (par 3) after a birdie on the 12th hole (par 4), she regained a stroke on the 16th hole (par 5). Her powerful drives averaged 265 yards, with a 100% fairway hit rate and an 88.89% greens in regulation rate, which were outstanding.

Marina Alex is smiling brightly after finishing the final round as the leader on the 18th hole of the Palos Verdes Championship. Palos Verdes Estates, USA = Getty Images/Multivitz
Photo by Multivitz

Ko Jin-young smiled, saying, "I played early, so I was less affected by the wind," and "I was lucky." She will defend her title at the Cognizant Founders Cup on the 12th. Marina Alex (USA) won by one stroke (10 under par 274) with six birdies (one bogey). This was her second career win in 3 years and 8 months since winning the Cambia Portland Classic in September 2018, with a winner’s prize of $225,000 (about 280 million KRW).

Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and Megan Kang (USA) tied for 3rd place (8 under par 276). Hannah Green (Australia), who was the leader the previous day, struggled with a 1-over par round and dropped to a tie for 5th place (7 under par 277). For Korea, Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group) lost one stroke and fell to a tie for 16th place (4 under par 280). Rookies Choi Hye-jin (23, Lotte), Choi Woon-jung (32, Volvik), and Hong Ye-eun (20, CJ OnStyle) tied for 21st place (3 under par 281).

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