Jin Young Ko’s left wrist bothered her so much at the CME Group Tour Championship that she didn’t take a full swing beyond her 52-degree wedge while warming up before any of her rounds. Who needs the range?
The unflappable South Korean put together a streak of 63 greens in regulation despite the bum wrist at the CME in a remarkable display of ball-striking to lift her fifth trophy of the year on the LPGA.
She leaves Naples, Florida, with a $1.5 million paycheck, the largest in women’s golf, and the title of LPGA Rolex Player of the Year. Ko entered the final round 10 points back of World No. 1 Nelly Korda in the POY race and rose to the challenge with a closing career-best 8-under 63.
“This week was amazing,” said Ko, who won the CME last year, too.
Ko’s slim preparations before reach round consisted of a few chip shots, a few putts and then she put on sunscreen while talking to her manager and caddie. Even she can’t explain how it worked out so well.
“I had just no idea,” she said. “The first two fairways are really narrow, so I had a lot of pressure. But I was hitting straight last four days and, well, it’s ridiculous, I think.”
Jin Young Ko watches her tee shot on the eighth tee during the final round of the LPGA CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in Naples, Florida. Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press
Korda won four times on the LPGA this season including her first major, the KPMG Women’s PGA, and took home the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. It was a break-out season by all accounts, but it was Ko who had the last word.
“Honestly, it was definitely the Jin Young Ko Show today,” said Korda. “It was really cool to witness.”
Ko entered the final round tied for the lead with Korda, Nasa Hataoka and Celine Boutier at Tiburón Golf Club. The 26-year-old set the tone early, carding a front-nine 30 for a second consecutive day to build a four-shot lead.
While Hataoka fought her to the finish, Ko never really looked like she was going to let this one slip away. What seemed destined to be a day of fireworks turned into a deep appreciation for level-headed consistency. Ko ultimately won by one with a tournament record 23-under total.
“She did what she has done so often,” said LPGA Hall of Famer and Golf Channel analyst Judy Rankin. “She takes the drama out of a very dramatic day.”
Ko, 26, now has 12 LPGA victories, tying her with Sei Young Kim and Ariya Jutanugarn on the all-time list. The CME was her 81st LPGA start. The $1.5 million prize pushes her past $9 million in her career. At $9,102,985, Ko now checks in at No. 26 on the LPGA’s all-time money list.
Rankin said Ko is as good under pressure as “anybody we’ve ever watched.” She’s the 14th player to win multiple Player of the Year titles, joining all the greats of the game.
While Korda owned the first half of the season, it was Ko who won five times in her last nine starts and amassed a 67.4 scoring average through that stretch.
Ko struggled earlier in the season to find the motivation to play after her she was unable to go visit her ill grandmother in South Korea due to strict COVID-19 protocols. Her grandmother died in March just before the start of the ANA Inspiration.
Ko questioned whether or not she wanted to continue playing on the LPGA because it’s so far from home. Ultimately, it was the idea of her grandmother watching her win from heaven that got her heart back in it.
The rest came together after she took time off after the Olympics, missing the AIG Women’s British Open, to go back to her old swing coach Siwoo Lee.
Asked what her grandmother would say about this week, Ko said “I think she will be crying, and I think she’d say, ‘Hey, your putter was good.’ ”