Ko Ji-won (22, Samcheonri), once known simply as "Ko Ji-woo's younger sister" before breaking out with two wins last season, stormed to the front from the very first domestic event of the new season.
Ko shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 with five birdies in the first round of The Siena Open 2026 (total purse 1 billion won) at The Siena Belluto Country Club (par 72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. The event is the second tournament of the 2026 Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour season and the first held on Korean soil. Ko holds the solo lead by one stroke over a group of players tied for second, including rookie Yang Hyo-jin.
Starting from the 10th hole, Ko trimmed four strokes off par on her front nine and added another birdie on the back nine without dropping a single shot. On the par-4 ninth hole, she launched a 291-yard drive.
Ko turned professional in 2023 and claimed her first two career victories last year — at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in August and the S-OIL Championship in November. Together with her older sister Ko Ji-woo, who has three career wins, the siblings became the first pair of sisters to both win in the same season in KLPGA Tour history.
After recording her maiden and second victories in the same year, Ko finished the season ranked seventh in scoring average and 12th in the money list. During her winter training camp in Palm Springs in the United States, she worked on adding distance off the tee, raising expectations for a career-best season.
"I kept up my speed training and workouts, and I also gained weight. I think all of that contributed a bit to the extra distance," Ko said after the round. She explained that she trains with equipment that allows her to adjust the head weight for faster full swings. "At one point I was thinking about big goals like Player of the Year, but now I'm focusing on taking it one round at a time rather than chasing specific results or targets," she added.
Greens were lightning fast on the day, with green speeds reaching 3.7 meters on the Stimpmeter. "These were the fastest greens I've experienced recently. Even including the entire season last year, they felt quite fast," Ko said. "I think they'll get even faster, but I'm trying not to overthink it and just adapt to the conditions."
