BUSAN, South Korea — Jin Young Ko birdied her first playoff gap with fellow South Korean participant Hee Jeong Lim to win the BMW Women Championship on Sunday.
The LPGA Tour mentioned Ko is projected to change into world No. 1 with the win, overtaking American Nelly Korda.
Ko was No. 1-ranked from July 20, 2019, to June 27, 2021, a streak of 100 consecutive weeks, and was additionally world No. 1 for 12 weeks in early 2019. It was Ko’s eleventh profession LPGA win.
“I wasn’t too acutely aware, truly, of the rating,” Ko mentioned. “I at all times really feel in case your recreation is in good kind and you retain at it, you possibly can attain that rating. … I felt if I stored at it and labored exhausting this yr I may need an opportunity inside this yr.”
Lim led by 4 strokes going into the ultimate spherical, however Ko’s 8-under 64 moved her to 22-under 266, degree with Lim after her final-round 68.
It was Ko’s first playoff in an LPGA event.
“I wasn’t that nervous going into the playoff. I believe I used to be feeding off the boldness I had through the spherical,” Ko mentioned. “After I was heading to the tee, I turned to Dave [caddie Dave Brooker] and I advised him that this was my first playoff ever, and he smiled and he mentioned, ‘Welcome.’ And that helped me ease these nerves.”
4 gamers tied for third, 4 strokes behind, together with South Korean-born New Zealander Lydia Ko after a 64.
Going into the event, Jin Younger Ko had 14 straight rounds within the 60s, tying her with Annika Sorenstam (2005) and So Yeon Ryu (2015-17) for probably the most in tour historical past.
However Ko completed with a 1-under 71 on Thursday to finish the streak. She has now began a brand new one, taking pictures 64-67-64 to complete the event.
Ko received her third event of the season on the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey, her third win in her previous six begins, a stretch that included a runner-up end and a sixth-place end.
The LPGA began out with a four-tournament Asia swing till occasions in Shanghai, Japan and Taiwan had been both canceled or faraway from the schedule attributable to COVID-19 journey restrictions. That left Busan as a one-off occasion, and lots of the high North American gamers determined to not play.
