Golf’s HSBC Women’s World Championship: Ko Jin-young retains title to maintain South Korean dominance
- World No 5’s victory at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club is her first on the LGPA Tour since she won the same event last year
- Nelly Korda finishes second, two shots behind Ko, while Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan calls the tournament ‘a good lesson’ after patchy week
The world No 5 ensured the continued domination of South Korean players in this event, with seven of the last eight champions coming from her homeland.
She shot a three-under 69, including four birdies, to finish 17 under for the week and claim victory by two shots from American Nelly Korda.
Play was once again interrupted as a sudden downpour fell over Sentosa Island, with Ko playing on the 16th hole when the heavens opened.
“During the delay I rested and saw the TV and looked at the scoreboard,” she said. “I had a three-shot lead but I had two more holes left.
“I thought, ‘OK, let’s make a par and play safe.’”
She played true to her word, finishing the week with five consecutive pars as her closest competitors failed to keep the pressure on.
Victory at Sentosa Golf Club is Ko’s first on the LGPA Tour since her success in this tournament last year.
“I worked really hard in winter training and I think this win shows that it has paid off,” she said. “It’s a great honour to defend this title.”
World No 2 Nelly Korda also shot a final-day 69, finishing in second place on 15 under for the week.
Her compatriots Danielle Kang and Allisen Corpuz ended a shot back, tied for third with Japan’s Ayaka Furue.
World No 18 Kang was a stand-out performer on Sunday, holing her fifth birdie on the 13th to move one shot behind Ko.
But a bogey on the par-five 16th ultimately ended her chances of overhauling the champion as she carded a four-under 68.
Japan’s Yuko Saso also finished with a flurry, shooting the joint-best round of the day to finish sixth overall. She hit seven birdies, including three in a row on the front nine, as she ended her week with a six-under 66.
Saso was one of a number of players to put together a late charge on Sunday, but none of them were a match for Ko, who paired her impressive skill with steely determination and, by her own admission, a slice of luck.
“I saw the Northern Lights in December,” Ko said. “I think it brought me good luck today, as it’s really hard to see them. When I went to Finland and Iceland I picked just one day and I saw them, so it was lucky.”
Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching ended a difficult week with an even-par round of 72, as she finished seven over for the tournament.
Chan had high hopes coming into this event, but the 29-year-old struggled for consistency throughout the week.
“In the last four days, I can only pull 13, 14 good holes and then I will have one or two bad holes a day,” Chan said.
“It could be a mental thing – you know, just not strong enough to finish up all 18 – and the weather was on and off, it was a little tough too. But it’s a good lesson to learn how to stay mentally focused at each moment.”
Despite the challenges, there were encouraging signs for Chan during her final round. After hitting two bogeys in three holes, she regained her composure to shoot back-to-back birdies.
One of those birdies came despite a weather interruption in the middle of the hole, when intense rain flooded the green, causing Chan and her fellow competitors to seek shelter. She remained unfazed and returned to sink a birdie putt, ensuring a strong finish.
“I definitely learned a lot this week,” she said. “I still see a lot of mistakes, that I could have room to improve.
“I’ll probably go to Los Angeles to see my swing coach, see my trainer and review what I did this week and build on it from there.”
