‘Hyundae-ga(家)’ Prospective Daughter-in-law Lydia Ko: "Victory is a Wedding Gift"... Korea's '13 Consecutive Games Without a Title'

Lydia Ko Wins BMW Ladies Championship by 7 Under Par on Final Day with 4-Stroke Victory
To Marry Jung Joon, Only Son of Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Jung Tae-young, at Myeongdong Cathedral in December
Andrea Lee 2nd Place, Choi Hye-jin, Kim Hyo-joo, and Lilia Vu Tie for 3rd

Lydia Ko is walking on the fairway at the 1st hole on the final day of the BMW Ladies Championship, smiling brightly. Photo by BMW Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Lydia Ko (New Zealand), ranked 5th in the world, has become a ‘multi-champion’.

On the 23rd, Lydia Ko shot 7 under par in the final 4th round at Oak Valley Golf Club in Wonju, Gangwon Province (par 72, 6,661 yards), the only LPGA Tour event held in Korea, the BMW Ladies Championship (total prize money $2 million), securing a dominant 4-stroke victory (21 under par, 267 strokes). This is her second win of the season and 18th career victory, nine months after winning the Gainbridge LPGA in January. The winner’s prize money is $300,000 (4.3 billion KRW).

Lydia Ko started from a tie for 2nd place, one stroke behind the leader, and collected 7 birdies (1 bogey). After ‘stepping stone birdies’ on holes 2 and 4, she made a bogey on the 7th hole (par 3) but immediately recovered with a birdie on the 8th hole (par 4). In the back nine, consecutive birdies on holes 10 and 11 and a three-birdie streak from holes 15 to 17 distanced her from her competitors’ pursuit.

Lydia Ko has been a ‘golf prodigy’ dominating the professional stage since her amateur days. Since debuting on the LPGA Tour in 2014, she has won two major championships and accumulated 24 wins in the US and Europe. Lydia Ko will marry Jung Joon on December 30 at Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul. Jung Joon is the only son of Chung Tae-young, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Card. They plan to establish their newlywed home in the United States. Lydia Ko will continue her professional career after marriage.

Andrea Lee (USA) finished in 2nd place (17 under par, 271 strokes). Rookie No. 2 Choi Hye-jin (23) fought hard, lowering her score by 4 strokes but settled for a tie for 3rd place (16 under par, 272 strokes). This marks her 10th top-10 finish of the season. Korea continued its slump with 13 consecutive tournaments without a win, failing to claim the title again in this event. Kim Hyo-joo (27) and Lilia Vu (USA) also tied for 3rd place. Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand), the rookie No. 1 and leader from the previous day, lost 2 strokes and dropped to 6th place (13 under par, 275 strokes).

National team reserve Kim Min-sol (16, Suseong Bangtong High School 1st year) performed well, finishing tied for 10th place (10 under par, 278 strokes). Choi Na-yeon (35), who played her retirement match on the LPGA Tour, ended her career tied for 47th place (2 under par, 286 strokes). She shed tears on the 18th hole (par 5). Friends including ‘Golf Queen’ Park In-bi, Kim Ha-neul, and Lee Jeong-eun 5 (all 34) shared her final moments.

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