▲ In this Associated Press photo, Ko Jin-young of South Korea watches her tee shot from the first hole during the final round of the Volunteers of America Classic on the LPGA Tour at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, on July 4, 2021. (Yonhap)
▲ In this Associated Press photo, Ko Jin-young of South Korea acknowledges the crowd after making a birdie putt on the second hole during the final round of the Volunteers of America Classic on the LPGA Tour at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, on July 4, 2021. (Yonhap)
▲ In this Getty Images photo, Ko Jin-young of South Korea hits her tee shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Volunteers of America Classic on the LPGA Tour at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, on July 4, 2021. (Yonhap)

LPGA-S Korean

Ko Jin-young captures 1st LPGA win of season in Texas

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- World No. 2 Ko Jin-young has found the LPGA winner's circle for the first time in 2021.

The South Korean star captured the Volunteers of America Classic at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, on Sunday (local time), beating Matilda Castren of Finland by one stroke.

Ko shot a final round of 69, with four birdies and two bogeys, for the total of 16-under 268 at the par-71 course.

This was Ko's first victory in 11th start this year, and her eighth overall. Ko has now recorded a victory in every season since 2017.

Ko is the third South Korean to win on the LPGA Tour this year, joining Park In-bee and Kim Hyo-joo. All three will represent the country at the Tokyo Olympics in early August, with Kim Sei-young rounding out the quartet.

Ko's two-year reign as the No. 1 player in the world ended last week, when American Nelly Korda won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for her first career major and her third win of 2021.

No South Korean has won a major this year, and prior to Ko's breakthrough, South Korea hadn't produced a winner in seven consecutive tournaments, the longest such drought in a season since 2014.

The uninspiring stretch of play dampened the country's hopes of contending for an Olympic medal in early August, and Ko's victory should quell concerns.


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