Jin-young wins Women’s Australian Open wire-to-wire
ADELAIDE: Ko Jinyoung ignored persistent screeching by a flock of sulphurcrested cockatoos to record an emphatic wiretowire victory at the Women’s Australian Open in Adelaide.
Jinyoung produced a meticulous back nine to card a closing threeunder 69 and head a South Korean onetwo finish, with Choi Hyejin (67) in second place three strokes further back.
Swinging with metronomic consistency and putting with unerring accuracy, she finished at 14under 274 at the historic Kooyonga course that has hosted five men’s Australian Opens.
Jinyoung is already a 10time winner on the Korean LPGA. Last October she captured the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship title and earned a ticket to the lucrative US women’s Tour.
Yesterday, in another tournament sanctioned by the LPGA circuit, the 22yearold became only the second player after Beverly Hanson in 1951 to claim an LPGA Tour title in her first start as a member.
Jinyoung acknowledged she had been nervous trying to maintain her finalround lead, and credited her Australian caddie Dean Herden for keeping her from getting too excited.
“Did you see Dean’s face, really scary,” she said at the victory presentation on the 18th green, eliciting a roar of laughter from onlookers.
“First time in Australia ... my goal was to make the cut and enjoy the game but I did win.”