Hometown/Resides: Suwon, South Korea/Seoul, South Korea

Birthdate: July 7, 1995; currently 22 years, 7 months, 11 days

Qualified for LPGA Tour: By winning as a non-member in 2017 and accepting LPGA membership for 2018; Category 7 on the LPGA priority list

Turned Professional/Rookie Year: 2013/2018

LPGA: Second career victory and first of 2018; Becomes a Rolex First-Time Winner (her first victory occurred when she was a non-member)

PREVIOUS LPGA WINS: 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship

KLPGA: 10 career victories

With her win, Ko earns $195,000 in official money; any money prior to her rookie debut is unofficial

One event played, one cut made, $195,000, one victory

With her win, Ko becomes the second player to claim an LPGA Tour title in her first start as a member, and the first in 67 years (Beverly Hanson, 1951)
Ko becomes the first Rolex First-Time Winner since Sung Hyun Park won the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open; in 2017 there were only two first-time winners, Park and Danielle Kang (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship)
Ko is the first wire-to-wire winner (no ties) since Lexi Thompson at the 2017 Kingsmill Championship
This was Ko’s first start at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open
The Republic of Korea joins the U.S. (Brittany Lincicome) as the countries with tournament winners in 2018; in 2017, nine Korean players accounted for 15 tournament titles - the most of any country
With the win, Ko earns 500 points towards the Race to the CME Globe and 30 points for the Rolex Player of the Year - tying Brittany Lincicome for the early lead in both standings

In The Winner’s Circle with Jin Young Ko ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open

Related Articles