Ko shot a 1-over 73 on April 5 in the final round at The Siena Belluto Country Club (par 72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, with two birdies and three bogeys. She finished at 13-under 275 to edge runner-up Seo Gyo-rim, last year’s rookie of the year, by one stroke (12-under 276).
The newly created event carried a total purse of 1 billion won, and Ko earned 180 million won for the win.
Ko debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2023. After competing last year as a conditional entrant, she won her first title at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in August, securing her tour card through the 2027 season. She added a second victory in November at the S-OIL Championship.
After missing the cut at the Rejuran Championship in Thailand last month, Ko took the lead on the first day of the domestic opener and stayed on top through all four rounds to complete a wire-to-wire victory.
In the back nine of the final round, Ko traded birdies and bogeys while holding the lead. She stumbled with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 13 and 14, but turned momentum with a birdie putt of about 3 meters on the par-5 16th. She bogeyed the par-3 17th after finding a greenside bunker, allowing the margin to shrink to one shot again.
Ko did not give up the lead. On the par-4 18th, Seo missed a birdie putt of about 5 meters, while Ko calmly saved par to seal the one-stroke win.
Tour rookie Yang Hyo-jin finished alone in third at 10-under 278.
Amateur Kim Seo-a, born in 2012 and a student at Sinseong Middle School, tied for fourth with Cho A-yeon at 9-under 279.
World No. 1 Park Sung-hyun, playing on an invitation, finished tied for 13th at 5-under 283. Last year’s KLPGA grand prize winner Yoo Hyun-jo tied for 26th at 2-under 286, and last year’s money leader Hong Jung-min tied for 53rd at 4-over 292.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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