Jiwon Ko Says, "Sister, I Won Too"

Conditional Entry, Jeju Samdasoo Masters Victory by Two Strokes
First Win in 61st Tournament, Three Years After Debut
Rare Feat: Ko Sisters Both Win on Tour in Same Season

'Non-regular member' Jiwon Ko has claimed her first career victory.

On August 10, at the Cypress Golf & Resort North-West Course (par 72, 6,586 yards) in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, Jiwon Ko shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round of the KLPGA Tour Jeju Samdasoo Masters (total prize money: 1 billion won), winning by two strokes with a total of 21-under-par 267. Having debuted in 2023, she reached the top for the first time in her 61st tournament, three years after her debut. She received 180 million won in prize money for her victory.

Jiwon Ko (right) is taking a commemorative photo holding the trophy together with her sister Jiwoo Ko immediately after winning the Jeju Samdasoo Masters. Photo by KLPGA

Jiwon Ko advanced to the regular tour in 2023 after passing the seed qualifying tournament in 2022. However, in both her rookie and second seasons, she failed to retain her seed after finishing outside the top 60 in the money rankings, forcing her to compete in the seed qualifying tournament three times and leaving her largely unnoticed. In last year's third seed qualifying tournament, she finished 42nd, and this year, she mainly played on the Dream (second-tier) Tour. She only managed to participate in KLPGA regular tour events when spots became available, holding only 'conditional entry status.'

In the first half of the season, Jiwon Ko was able to play in only 9 out of 17 tournaments, and the Jeju Samdasoo Masters, the first event of the second half, was her 10th appearance of the season. With this victory, her status has changed. She has now secured the right to participate in all remaining KLPGA Tour events this year, effectively ending her activities on the Dream Tour early. This win also guarantees her tour seed through 2027.

With Jiwon Ko joining her sister Jiwoo Ko, who has already won three times, as a champion, the Ko sisters have set a rare record as the second pair of sisters to both win on the KLPGA Tour, following Heeyoung Park and Jooyoung Park. Since Jiwoo Ko won the McCall Mona Yongpyong Open in June, this is the first time sisters have both won in the same season. Jiwoo Ko, who was waiting on the 18th hole (par 5) green, was the first to congratulate her younger sister on her victory. In addition, Jiwon Ko's joy was even greater as she claimed her first win in her hometown of Jeju, where she was born and raised.

Jiwon Ko said, "My first win is an important milestone in my career. I feel more confident now, as it proves that the efforts I've made so far were not in vain," and added, "Tasting victory makes me want it even more. It has motivated me to work even harder." She continued, "My sister has always been someone I'm grateful for," and added, "In the second half of the season, I want to continue playing well with the goal of winning again."

Seunghee Noh reduced her score by three strokes to finish runner-up at 19-under-par 269. Yoon Ina, who returned from the United States to defend her title, finished tied for third at 17-under-par 271. Dayeon Lee also tied for third, Gayoung Lee finished fifth at 16-under-par 272, and Sehee Lee, Jiyeong Park, Suji Kim, Jinseon Han, and Minseon Kim7 were among those tied for sixth at 15-under-par 273. Sung Hyun Park, who returned to competition after about a month overseas, shot a 5-under-par 67 to climb to a tie for 11th at 14-under-par 274.

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