Ko Jin-young is this year’s Player of the Year and money leader on the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour of the U.S., beating out world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the U.S.
On Nov. 22 in Naples, Florida, Ko shot a nine-under 63 with nine birdies and no bogey in the fourth round of the CME Group Tour Championship, the tour’s season finale, at Tiburon Golf Club. Finishing with a 23-under 265, she beat runner-up Nasa Hataoka of Japan by one stroke.
Earning prize money of USD 1.5 million (KRW 1.78 billion), Ko posted her second victory since claiming the BMW Ladies Championship last month. She finished the season with an LPGA-leading five wins, the most since Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand won five in 2016.
Ko has 12 career LPGA wins.
Ranked No. 2 in the Player of the Year and money standings before the tournament, Ko overtook Korda to claim both categories for the season. She is the first Korean to win the money title for three straight years, with combined earnings of USD 3.5 million (KRW 4.16 billion) this season, and the first in 13 years to lead for three straight years since Lorena Ochoa of Mexico from 2006-08.
Ko also claimed her second Player of the Year award after winning her first in 2019, another first for a Korean on the tour.
“It was a difficult situation in having to finish at least as runner-up and keeping an eye on Korda’s performance to earn Player of the Year, but I’m happy that I won,” she said at the awards ceremony. “I guess I was a little luckier than she was.”
Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism