Jin Young Ko claimed her first LPGA title in October of 2017 and has won at least once on tour every year since.
That remarkable streak, which adds up to 15 LPGA titles, is in jeopardy, however, with only a handful of events left on the 2024 calendar. Ko, who battled a shoulder injury in 2024, has two runner-up finishes so far this season and came into this week’s Toto Japan Classic off a poor showing in Malaysia after a second-round 78.
But things are looking up for the former No. 1. Ko’s opening 7-under 65 included six birdies in a back-nine 31. She trails leader Hana Wakimoto by two shots.
“I mean, I didn’t do anything on the front nine,” said Ko, who is playing in this event for the first time since 2018. “Yeah, I played really nice on the back nine. I do not know what happened, but I really tried my best …. It’s been a while since I played a good score this year, so I am so happy.”
\Jin Young Ko of South Korea hits her second shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the TOTO Japan Classic 2024 at Seta Golf Course on October 31, 2024, in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. (Photo by Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images)
After losing in a playoff to Haeran Ryu at the FM Championship in September, Ko took five weeks off before returning to the tour in Malaysia.
Wakimoto, who is making her LPGA debut, recorded nine birdies en route to an 18-hole tournament scoring record at Seta Golf Course. Currently ranked 236th in the world, Wakimoto has competed on the JLPGA since 2018 with her best finish, a tie for fourth place, coming in 2019.