Ko Jin-young secures back-to-back top-5 finishes on LPGA Tour

Former world No. 1 Ko Jin-young (30), who endured a challenging season without a win last year, has started the 2025 LPGA Tour season strong, securing top-5 finishes in both of the first two events.

Ko finished as the runner-up at the LPGA Founders Cup on February 10 at Bradenton Country Club (par 71) in Florida, posting a final score of 17-under 267. She finished four strokes behind Korean American player Noh Yealimi (24), who claimed her first LPGA victory in her 118th tour event. This marks Ko’s second consecutive top-5 finish, following her T-4 result at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on February 3.

A three-time winner of the Founders Cup (2019, 2021, 2023), Ko took the solo lead early in the final round, reducing her score by three strokes on the front nine. However, she recorded her first bogey of the tournament on the par-4 13th hole, followed by additional bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes, allowing Noh to pull ahead. Despite missing out on the win, Ko maintained an impressive bogey-free streak of 95 holes, spanning from the 8th hole in the third round of last week's tournament to the 12th hole of the final round this week.

Since securing her 15th LPGA victory at this event in May 2023, Ko had been struggling to return to the winner’s circle, managing just three top-5 finishes in 18 events last year. However, her strong performances in the season's opening events suggest a potential resurgence. "The bogeys today were painful, but I gave my best and had a great week," Ko said. "Last year was tough, but I’m playing well this season. I hope to carry this momentum through the rest of the year." The LPGA Tour now heads into a three-week "Asian Swing," with events in Thailand, Singapore, and China starting on February 20. All eyes will be on Ko to see if she can break her winless streak.

Among other Korean players, Lim Jin-hee (27) finished T-4 with a score of 13-under 271, while rookie Yoon Ina (22), making her LPGA debut, missed the cut after carding a 4-over total in the first two rounds.


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