Jin Young Ko - Photo: DR

Jin Young finished with a 70 on Sunday to become the 15th South Korean player to win a major LPGA tournament since Se Ri Pak broke the odds in 1998 with the KPMG Women's PGA and the US Women's Open. Inexorably Ko continues his ascent to excellence and becomes stronger every day. As the desert heat reached 32 degrees, she calmly signed her first Major, giving the impression that it won't be her last.

Lee, playing among the duo against Ko, kept the pressure on with a very good 35 on the impeccable return nines, finishing at 70. And when Ko bogeys at holes 13 and 15, mostly from poor rebounds, Lee pulled herself up in one fell swoop.

But a 3,6-meter birdie putt from Ko on the 16 cropped her up and got her back on track. A birdie on the 18th was the icing on the cake. When the final putt was over, the pent-up emotions of the day erupted. Her hands moved to her face and tears flowed freely as her caddy Dave Brooker hugged her.

“I won the tournament and it's a happy moment,” Ko said, crying with joy. “I thank God, I thank my parents, I thank my grandparents. It is an honor for me to join so many great Korean players. I am honored to be here. "

The arc of Ko's career is impressive. At 20, she finished second at the 2015 AIG Women's British Open; she earned her first LPGA victory in 2017 and won again in 2018 to be named Rookie of the Year. She now has two titles this year, adding ANA Inspiration to the Bank of Hope Founders Cup as she pursues the Player of the Year title to serve as a bookend with her Rookie of the Year trophy.

If you were looking for a word to describe Ko, that word would be balance. Physically and emotionally, this calm young woman who favors the simplicity of black and white is rarely unbalanced. But if it hadn't been a little worse in the middle of the ninth day of Saturday - where she conceded a double bogey (14th) then a bogey (15th) - Ko would have had a considerable lead at the start of the final.

Instead, she started Sunday at 8 under the par 208, one stroke from In-Kyung Kim and three from Danielle Kang and Lee. But if she had the misfortunes of the Saturday Nine in mind, they were well hidden. She hit the fairways, greens and putts, never really opening the window of opportunity for her opponents.

Lexi Thompson took it out on Ko, but his seven-stroke deficit was too great to cover. Thompson wrapped up with a 67 and entered the clubhouse at 6 under par 282 with Ko in the tenth fairway. It was too little, too late.

“It's amazing,” Thompson said of his solid ending. “I birdie on the first hole and hit a ball out of bounds on the third, but I still managed to bogey. My Benji caddy helped me a lot, ”she says of Benji Thompson, who led her to victory here in 2014 and returned to carry his bag last week for the third time after being on the circuit. male.

Carlota Ciganda finished with a tied 68 for fourth place at 283 with Kim and a 66 put Kristen Gillman at 284 as well as Jessica Korda, Ally McDonald, Hyo Joo Kim, Kang and Jeongeun Lee6. Jaye Marie Green, Jenny Shin, Moriya Jutanugarn, Charley Hull and Jing Yan were at 285.

Kim and Kang both had the experience of winning a Major to build on, Kim at the AIG Women's British Open 2017 and Kang at the KPMG Women's PGA the same year. But they couldn't hang out with Ko during this Major Championship on Sunday. Only Lee and Lexi took a serious step.

Look what Ko has learned. In 2015, she had a three-stroke lead with six holes to go, but she bogeyed on the 13 and then a double on the 16, while Inbee Park eagle on the 14 and birdie on the 16. on his way to a 65 and a seventh major title, three strokes ahead of Ko. But Ko is learning fast, that's clear.

When she made that mistake on two holes on Saturday she said, “I'm not a robot, I'm human. It's a winning attitude for any athlete in any sport. In three ANA Inspiration appearances, Ko's best result was T-64 last year. She has taken a new step now.

That sound you hear is the beat of the metronome that Jin Young Ko is playing his game in. Get used to that. Not much seems to shake this young woman. Jin Young dived for the first time in Poppie's Pond on Sunday, but it sure won't be the last. This young woman is calmly colossal. You can set your watch on it.