THE COLONY, Texas– Jin Young Ko wanted a new prize for her brand-new house in Texas, and she even got something for the closet.She got a pair of cowboy boots for winning the Volunteers of America Classic on Sunday.The South Korean star needed to work hard for her one-shot triumph. Her putting was not up to her standards. Her video game didnt feel quite as sharp as it was during Kos almost two-year reign as No. 1 in the womens world ranking.But it sufficed for a 2-under 69, closing with seven straight pars for a one-shot success over Matilda Castren of Finland at Old American Golf Club, about 30 minutes from Kos new house.Ko won for the very first time this year, and it was one week after she lost the No. 1 ranking to American golfer Nelly Korda, who supplanted Ko by winning the KPMG Womens PGA Championship.Ko had actually failed to finish in the top 10 in four of her previous 5 starts on the LPGA Tour. Not far from her American home in the Dallas area, she prospered. She completed at 16-under 268 for her eighth career LPGA victory. She remains at No. 2 on the planet.”I was thinking I had a great deal of pressure with the No. 1 ranking,” Ko stated. “But I made it this week. Im very happy.”Jin Young Ko closed with seven straight pars for a 2-under 69 and a one-shot triumph Sunday in the Volunteers of America Classic. AP Photo/Ray CarlinStaked to a one-shot lead, Ko opened with three birdies in four holes to expand her lead. Castren, who won her very first LPGA Tour title three weeks back at Lake Merced, kept Ko in her sights with a set of birdies before making the turn.Castren was in threat of falling 3 shots behind on the par-5 13th, where she was in difficulty off the tee and had 20 feet left for par, with Ko about 12 feet for a birdie opportunity. Castren holed her par putt, Ko missed out on and the lead remained at one.The functions were changed on the next hole, as Ko missed her tee shot well to the right and could not reach the green, pitching to 6 feet. Castren had a wedge into the green, however she could not transform for birdie, and Ko conserved par.The tournament swung on the 15th hole, where Castren missed out on a 3-foot par putt that snapped difficult to the left, falling 2 shots behind. She got up and down from simply except the par-5 17th for birdie and remained in the video game when Ko missed her birdie putt from 6 feet.Castren had a 25-foot birdie from off the back of the 18th green that missed to the right, establishing Kos winning par putt from just outdoors 3 feet.”I played with her the last two days, and it was simply truly cool to enjoy her play,” Castren said. “She didnt make lots of errors at all, recuperated from her not-so-great shots truly well. I can certainly see why she was world No. 1 for so long.”Gaby Lopez of Mexico closed with a 65, making her only bogey on the last hole. She finished alone in third, 2 shots behind.Esther Henseleit of Germany was within two shots with 5 holes to play. On the 14th, her drive went under a tree, and she had to take a penalty drop. Then she lipped out a 4-foot putt and made her second double bogey of the round, falling four shots behind.Henseleit closed with a 72 and connected for fourth with Ana Belac (68) and Emma Talley, who shot a 63 for her profession low round on the LPGA Tour.Ko had plenty of assistance at Old American over the previous few days, including her moms and dads, who remained in presence.”It was a great week,” Ko said.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Her game didnt feel rather as sharp as it was during Kos nearly two-year reign as No. 1 in the ladiess world ranking.But it was enough for a 2-under 69, closing with 7 straight pars for a one-shot triumph over Matilda Castren of Finland at Old American Golf Club, about 30 minutes from Kos brand-new house.Ko won for the first time this year, and it was one week after she lost the No. 1 ranking to American golf enthusiast Nelly Korda, who supplanted Ko by winning the KPMG Womens PGA Championship.Ko had failed to finish in the leading 10 in four of her previous five starts on the LPGA Tour. Castren, who won her first LPGA Tour title three weeks ago at Lake Merced, kept Ko in her sights with a pair of birdies prior to making the turn.Castren was in threat of falling three shots behind on the par-5 13th, where she was in problem off the tee and had 20 feet left for par, with Ko about 12 feet for a birdie opportunity. Castren holed her par putt, Ko missed and the lead remained at one.The roles were changed on the next hole, as Ko missed her tee shot well to the right and couldnt reach the green, pitching to 6 feet. She got up and down from just brief of the par-5 17th for birdie and remained in the video game when Ko missed her birdie putt from 6 feet.Castren had a 25-foot birdie from off the back of the 18th green that missed to the right, setting up Kos gaining par putt from simply outdoors 3 feet.