S. Koreans win on PGA, LPGA tours on same day for 1st time

All News 10:24 October 11, 2021

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- In the South Korean sporting calendar, Oct. 11, 2021, will go down in history as a momentous day in golf.

Ko Jin-young and Im Sung-jae both notched victories on the LPGA and PGA tours Monday morning in Korea, or Sunday afternoon in the United States.

In this Associated Press photo, Ko Jin-young of South Korea poses next to the champion's trophy after winning the Cognizant Founders Cup at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey, on Oct. 10, 2021. (Yonhap)

Ko came through with a four-shot victory at the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey. A few hours later in Las Vegas, Im ralied for a four-stroke win of his own at the Shriners Children's Open.

On three previous occasions, South Korean players on these two tours had won in the same tournament week but not on the same day on the Korean calendar.

In this Getty Images photo, Ko Jin-young of South Korea hits her tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the Cognizant Founders Cup at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey, on Oct. 10, 2021. (Yonhap)

On Oct. 2, 2005, Choi Kyoung-ju won the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro on the men's side. Han Hee-won captured her Office Depot Championship in LPGA, but the weather-interrupted tournament had a Monday finish on Oct. 3.

The following year, Choi won the Chrysler Championship on Oct. 29 in Florida, which was Oct. 30 in Korean time. That same weekend, Hong Jin-joo earned her maiden LPGA win at the Kolon-Hana Bank Championship, which was played in South Korea on Oct. 29.

In this Getty Images photo, Im Sung-jae of South Korea holds the trophy after winning the Shriners Children's Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas on Oct. 10, 2021. (Yonhap)

Yang Yong-eun captured the Honda Classic on March 8, 2009, in Florida. or March 9 in the Korean time zone. On March 8 in Korean time then, LPGA star Shin Ji-yai won the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore.

These double victories are rare occasions because South Korean women have been far more successful than men on their respective circuits.

Ko's victory was the 199th by a South Korean player in LPGA. Im's title, on the other hand, was the 20th PGA Tour win by a South Korean man.