South Korea’s Jin Young Ko defeats defending champion Minjee Lee to secure a third Founders Cup title in five years, making her the only player with the most titles in the tournament’s 12-year history.
After winning the event in 2019 and 2021, the 27-year-old overcame a four-shot deficit to win for the 15th time on the LPGA Tour and for the second time this year.
The victory came on the first playoff hole on Sunday, 14 May 2023, after Lee three-putted for bogey, making room for Ko to shoot a final round-best 5-under 67. As opposed to Lee who shot a final round 1-under 71 and finished off the 72-hole event at 13-under 275.
Ko follows Lilia Vu (who recently won her first major title at the 2023 Chevron Championship) as the only players with multiple wins on tour this year, earning $450,000 from the $3 million purse.
After going back to the par 4 No.18 at the Upper Montclair Country Club for the playoff, both Ko and Lee hit the green with their second shots with Lee being roughly 15 feet away and closer than Ko, who had a winding putt from right to left.
Ko sneaked in her birdie attempt to tap-in range and Lee went for the win, however putted in six feet past the hole, to eventually miss the par saver to the right. Giving Ko the opportunity to tap in.
Lee missed the opportunity to secure a 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.
The other players who finished behind Ko and Lee include South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, who won the AIG Women’s Open last year, finished third at 10 under. Buhai was a shot ahead of South Korean greenhorn, Hae Ran Ryn.
The fifth position was shared by Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, Aditi Ashok of India and American Angel Yin at 7-under- a shot ahead of Nasa Hataoka of Japan.
Ko closed the gap to two shots with birdies at Nos. This comes after Lee opened the round with a three-shot lead over Yin and Ashok with Ko in a group four off the lead. 3 and 4, Lee handed the other two shots back when she hit a “fat” iron at the par 3 No.6 into the water for a double bogey.
Producing a brief three-way tie for the lead with Yin at 10-under, having started the day three shots off the lead and got to 10-under with a birdie at No.2.
It was Ko who briefly took the lead with a birdie at No.7 and Lee responded from 10 feet minutes. Ko took at 1-shot with a birdie at the par-5 12th, however Lee opened a two-edge with birdies at 11, 12 and 15.
Lee made way for Ko with a bogey at No.16 after missing the fairway and Ko walked in with a deft downhill birdie putt at No.18.
Photo 1 Caption: South Korea’s Jin Young Ko defeats defending champion Minjee Lee to secure a third Founders Cup title in five years, making her the only player with the most titles in the tournament’s 12-year history. Photo: LPGA Tour (Instagram)
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