Jin Young Ko Captures 1st-Ever Major Win at ANA Inspiration 2019

Jin Young Ko won her first career major title Sunday with a first-place finish at the 2019 ANA Inspiration.

After beginning the day with a one-stroke lead, she remained ahead by shooting a 70 in her final round to finish 10 strokes under par at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Mi Hyang Lee finished three strokes back to take second place.

The first major of the year was wide open, especially with defending champion Pernilla Lindberg missing the cut, but Ko was the best in the field to bring home the $450,000 winner's share.

Final Leaderboard

1. Jin Young Ko (-10)

2. Mi Hyang Lee (-7)

3. Lexi Thompson (-6)

T4. Carlota Ciganda (-5)

T4. In-Kyung Kim (-5)

T6. Kristen Gillman (-4)

T6. Hyo Joo Kim (-4)

T6. Jessica Korda (-4)

T6. Ally McDonald (-4)

T6. Jeongeun Lee (-4)

Full results available at LPGA.com.

Ko entered the day with a one-stroke lead as one of the only players in the field who finished under par in each of the first three rounds. A 68 in Round 3 was enough to put her on top of the leaderboard.

She then got off to a strong start to pull away from the competition:

Three birdies in her first 11 holes allowed her to gain a three-stroke lead:

It helped that In-Kyung Kim faded after starting the day in second place, shooting two over in the final round.

Mi Hyang Lee was able to stick around on the leaderboard but simply couldn't find enough birdies.

This allowed Ko to close out the win with a couple of strokes' worth of breathing room before ending with a birdie on 18.

There was still a decent amount of competition throughout the day, especially from experienced golfers like Lexi Thompson climbing up the board with a 67 in Round 4.

The American had seven birdies on the day and almost put a lot of pressure on the leader before reaching the clubhouse:

Unfortunately, she only managed a par on the final hole and ended her day four strokes back of the lead.

Kristen Gillman gave a run by shooting a 66 Sunday to climb up from 37th place to a tie for sixth.

Katherine Kirk was also a threat with impressive shots like this one on No. 6:

Still, none of them were able to keep up with Ko, who was easily the most consistent player throughout the four days in California.

The 23-year-old had already been the No. 1 player on the money list this season and she added more separation with her latest victory.

After a week off, the LPGA tour will travel to Hawaii for the LOTTE Championship at Ko Olina in Oahu.