CLIFTON, New Jersey— Ko Jin-young won her third LPGA Founders Cup trophy at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New, becoming the first-ever three-time winner of the Founders Cup and extending the Korean dominance at the event.
Having won the Founders Cup in 2019 and 2021, Ko lifted her third Founders Cup trophy — her 15th LPGA title — after beating defending champion Minjee Lee of Australia.
Ko and Lee were tied with a 13-under-par, 275, after the last round, forcing a playoff to decide the winner.
Lee made a bogey on the par-4 18th hole, while Ko managed a par to claim the victory as well as $450,000 in prize money.
The Founders Cup is Ko’s second LPGA title of the season, with her first victory at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in March.
“It is such an honour,” Ko said after the event.
“It is really hard to win an event three times, and winning it twice is also not easy, but I fortunately won it.”
“I am so happy that I got my third victory,” Ko said.
The victory allowed her to become the first-ever golfer to win the tournament on three different golf courses — her first victory was at the Wildfire Golf Club in 2019, second at Mountain Ridge in 2021 and third at Upper Montclair Country Club.
“I won the event three times, and the locations have been all different, and it really means a lot to me,” Ko said.
“I did my best, and I really wanted to win an event since the tournament in Singapore. I am so happy that I was able to display a good performance today like this.”
Ko’s third victory extended Korean dominance at the tournament. First established in 2011, the Founders Cup has seen four Korean winners since Kim Hyo-joo became the first to win the title in 2015.
“This golf course is not easy. Fairways are narrow and greens are firm and windy,” Ko said according to AP. “But I shoot really, really good and, yeah I feel really good and it´s honor to get third trophy Cognizant Founders Cup.”
In winning for the 15th time on the LPGA Tour and the second time this year, Ko shot a final round-best 5-under 67 in tough, windy conditions.
She forced the playoff making a clutch downhill birdie from roughly 15 feet on No. 18 to tie for the lead. It was her third straight birdie on the hole.
The players went back to the par-4 No. 18 for the playoff. Both players hit the green with their second shots with Lee being about 15 feet away and closer than Ko, who had a winding putt from right to left.
Ko snuggled her birdie attempt to tap-in range and Lee went for the win, but putted it six feet past the hole, missing the par saver to the right. Ko tapped in and then ran over and hugged her caddie, David Brooker.
Lee gave away what would have been her ninth win on tour by squandering a three-shot 54-hole lead early and then blowing a two-shot lead with three holes to play with a bogey at No. 16 and the Ko’s late birdie.
Lee shot a final-round 1-under 71 and finished the 72-hole event at 13-under 275.
Lee said she obviously would have preferred the win.
“But looking back at my whole year and just kind of assessing where I am, how I did this week, I think a lot more positives than negatives,” she said.
“I´m a little bit disappointed, but I think I can take more of the happy moments into my next stretch of events and the rest of the year.”
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