Jin Young Ko is a superstar in the making.
She proved it once again with a spectacular Sunday performance that won her the HSBC Women’s Championship, her fifth victory in her last six starts.
Ko did it with an incredible birdie run that began on the 13th hole of the Sentosa Golf Club. He made four straight, parred the 17th then birdied 18 for a closing 66 and a 17-under par total that beat 54-hole leader In Gee Chun was two shots.
“I felt uncomfortable with my swing on the front nine,” Ko said after the win. That was evident all week. She was five-under on the front nine, 12-under on the back. “So I expected the back nine will be more better than front nine. So I found something and I got a lot of birdies on the back nine.”
Her bogey at the 12th came when she mis-hit a chip shot. “I was angry,” Ko said, looking back at the bogey, “but I thought, yeah, I have five or six more holes, so I can get a lot of birdies.” From there, Ko put on a charge with four straight birdies to tie Jeong Lee6 at 16-under heading to the 18th.
With Ko safely on the green in two at the par four, Lee6’s third from the back greenside bunker was hit thin, it flew the green. Her fourth was well short, leading to a closing double-bogey. With a 10-foot birdie putt that just caught the left edge of the hole, Ko finished with birdie to win her 2022 season debut. The win also tightened her hold on the No. 1 ranking in the world with Nelly Korda taking a month away from the Tour.
Ko also set two significant Tour records. It was her 15th consecutive round in the 60s and her 30th straight under-par round.
Minjee Lee shot the week’s low score — a dazzling nine-under par 63 that jumped her into a share of second with Chun, who finished with 69.
Danielle Kang was low American with a closing 70 that got her to 11-under par and a tie for ninth.
Ashun Wu Gets Fourth DP World Tour Win In Kenya:
Ashun Wu is the most successful Chinese golfer on the DP World Tour and he won for the fourth time Sunday in Kenya.
Wu came into the final round of the Magical Kenya Open trailing by four shots but he kicked it in high gear with four birdies in a row starting at the seventh hole at Muthaiga Golf Club.
From there he went on to close the deal with a 65 and a 16-under par total.
Canadian Aaron Cockerill, South African Thriston Lawrence and German Hurly Long finished four shots back.
The victory put him two wins ahead of countryman Haotong Li. Wu has two wins on the Japan Golf Tour as well. .
