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Jin Young Ko finished the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea in a tie for ninth place, a solid week in her homeland that was overshadowed by her compatriot Ha Na Jang’s dramatic playoff victory. But the quiet top-10 was enough for Ko (above) to clinch the LPGA’s Rolex Player of the Year award. Ko’s closest challenger, Jeongeun Lee6, would have needed a victory in Busan to keep the race alive.
Unlike the PGA Tour’s player-of-the-year award, which is decided by a vote of the players, the LPGA honor is based on points – 30 for a victory, 12 for a runner-up finish and so on. Ko entered the BMW Ladies Championship leading Lee6 by more than 100 points, an almost insurmountable advantage. Ko’s finish last week made it official. With three tournaments left, no one can overtake her mathematically.
Ko won four times, including two major championships – the ANA Inspiration and the Evian Championship – had three runner-up finishes among eight additional top-10s. Every step of the way, the 2018 Rolex Rookie of the Year remained humble and earnest in word and deed, a testament to her roots.
“When I started out with golf when I was 10, we were not that well off,” Ko said. “So it was a struggle. When my coach told my mom that I should really go down this path, my parents both had to work very hard so that I could learn golf and become a professional golfer.
“Then when I started to go on tour and go on competitions, I would be apart from my family, and whenever we struggled financially or emotionally, there were people around us who helped us out. For my mom, too, whenever she thought that they really couldn't pay for my lessons anymore, somehow, somebody helped her and they could afford to pay for my lessons.
“When I turned pro at 20, we were in a lot of debt because my parents were supporting me, and I knew at that point, I wanted to really work hard to really pay off that debt. I know at that time, there were a lot of negative stories about me and there was some misunderstanding, but until I had five or six wins, my household was still very much indebted.
“I just focused on working hard, and on my parents. When they saw me in the States really working hard, that made them very happy. I guess this kind of has led me to think more about helping others.
“I tend to set my goals on a weekly basis, so I have not thought about my goals for the next season. But I do know that I want to be more grateful next year. I want to be a better player, obviously, but I also want to be able to spread the gratitude. For instance, I would like to take part in more charity events and donations and so forth.”
Staff and Wire Reports