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Ko Jin-young climbs to 7th in rankings after Founders Cup runner-up finish

Published: 11 Feb. 2025, 13:00

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Ko Jin-young hits a shot during the Founders Cup presented by the U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 at Bradenton Country Club in Florida on Feb. 9. [AFP/YONHAP]

Ko Jin-young jumped four spots to land in seventh place on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings after finishing runner-up at the Founders Cup presented by the U.S. Virgin Islands on the LPGA Tour on Sunday.

Ko is now the highest-ranked Korean golfer, with Ryu Hae-ran just one spot below her at No. 8. The two are the only Koreans ranked in the top 10, while Amy Yang is the third-highest ranked Korean at No. 12.

Korean golfers have shown strong performances in the first two LPGA tournaments of the 2025 season.

Before Ko’s runner-up finish last week, Kim A-lim claimed the season’s first trophy at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Feb. 2, where Ko tied for fourth.

Ko has returned to the 2025 campaign after several successful seasons on Tour, during which she clinched 15 wins and became the first golfer to spend 159 weeks at No. 1.

However, her reign at the top ended at 163 weeks in July 2023, and she has yet to return to the coveted position.

The remainder of the 2025 LPGA season presents opportunities for her to climb further in the rankings, with the tournament-packed campaign running through November.

A victory this season would mark Ko’s first win since her 15th title at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May 2023.

The 2025 season follows a disappointing year for Korean golfers, who collected only three titles last season — the fewest in 13 years.

Korean contenders will return to action for the Tour’s first Asian swing, teeing off on Feb. 20 in Thailand for the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Five majors are also scheduled, with the Chevron Championship starting in April, the earliest of the five.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]