Jin Young Ko says a trip to Niagara Falls on Friday both amazed and scared her.
By the time she signed her scorecard on Sunday, Ko was scary good, breaking Canadian hearts in the process as she romped home to a five-shot win at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club in Aurora.
“I like Canada and I like ice capp,” said the 24-year-old South Korean, who has a limited grasp of English, but still managed to both get her point across and create laughs with the media after her win on Sunday.
Like so many visitors here, Ko took an instant liking to this country’s summer preference for caffeine drinks served with ice.
Some must have crept into her veins as she poured in eight birdies and had an incredible par save on the ninth hole to, ahem, ice, her victory.
The stage had been set for defending champion Brooke Henderson for a historic repeat after the 21-year-old Canadian had a blistering nine-under run over her last 11 holes on Saturday.
That run allowed Henderson start the day in the final group, two shots back of Nicole Broch-Larsen and Ko.
“It would have been very difficult to catch Jin Young today,” Henderson said Sunday. “She shot like a million under.”
Well, maybe not a million, but close. Ko’s eight-under 64 on Sunday gave her a four-round total of 26- under 262, a new tournament record.
Broch-Larsen was a bit more circumspect.
“It would have taken something exceptional to beat her,” said Broch-Larsen, who is from Denmark.
Henderson finished where she started on Sunday, in third place at 19-under after shooting 69, helped by two late birdies.
“I would have liked this one,” said Henderson, pointing to the champions trophy while receiving her low Canadian honour, “but (the tournament) is getting a great champion.”
Ko’s bogey-free tournament was the first on tour in four years and extended her own streak to 106 holes (and counting) without a bogey Broch-Larsen, who briefly led after making birdie at the first, was alone in second at 21-under after matching Henderson’s 69 on Sunday.
Buoyed by Henderson’s presence, great weather and an opulent golf course that has an air of mystery to many area residents, the tournament attracted 45,000 spectators for the week.
The galleries overwhelmingly favoured Henderson but there was a significant minority, drawn from the GTA’s large Korean population, that cheered Ko around the course.
“Great crowds. I love Canada,” said Ko.
The tournament moves to Vancouver next year, where Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club will host the event for the first time.
