'3-Win Challenge' Ko Jin-young: "I Spent Happy Time with My Parents"

BMW Ladies Championship Home Defense Launch
Boo, Inruening, Korda, Lydia Ko Star All Out
Kim Hyo-joo, Yoo Hae-ran, Jeon In-ji, Choi Hye-jin Title Contenders

World No. 3 Ko Jin-young is aiming for her third victory.

On the 19th, she will compete at the BMW Ladies Championship (total prize money $2.2 million) on the Seowon Hills Course at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province (Par 72, 6,647 yards), aiming to defend her home turf. This is the only official LPGA Tour event held in Korea. This year, 78 players will compete in a four-day, 72-hole stroke play format without a cut. The winner's prize is $330,000 (approximately 450 million KRW).

Kim Hyo-joo, Shin Ji-ae, Lydia Ko, Ko Jin-young, Yoon Da-bin, and Yoo Hae-ran (from left) are pledging their best performance at the BMW Ladies Championship protocol.
[Photo by BMW Korea]

Ko Jin-young has built fond memories at this tournament since it began in 2019. She collected the winner’s trophy in 2021, becoming the player responsible for the 200th LPGA Tour victory by a Korean golfer. Ko is also performing well this year. She secured two wins at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March and the Cognizant Founders Cup in May. She ranks 10th in the money list ($1.49 million), 8th in Player of the Year points (87 points), and 3rd in scoring average (70.02 strokes). Since finishing as runner-up at the CPKC Women’s Open in August, Ko has balanced rest and training. She shared, “I spent a lot of time with my parents at home. I tried to rediscover what happiness means in my life.”

Last year’s champion Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is eyeing a second consecutive win. Top global players including World No. 1 Lilia Vu and money leader Alison Lee (both USA), CME Globe points leader C?line Boutier (France), World No. 2 Lin Yufei (China), and Rose Zhang (USA), who won her professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open in June, will also participate. World No. 4 Nelly Korda (USA) will greet Korean golf fans for the first time in four years.

Korea places high hopes on Kim Hyo-joo (Ascendant LPGA Benefiting VOA) and Yoo Hae-ran (Walmart NW Arkansas Championship), who recently won LPGA Tour events. Joining them are Jeon Ji-hee, Yang Hee-young, Kim A-rim, Choi Hye-jin, Kim Sei-young, and An Na-rin. Park Hee-young (Korea), returning to the LPGA stage after about a year, is also listed as a special invitee.

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