THE COLONY (Texas) Jin Young Ko was looking for a new trophy to go with her Texas house. She even bought something for her closet.For winning Sunday's Volunteers of America Classic, she received a pair of cowboy boot.For her 1 shot victory, the South Korean star had to put in a lot of effort. Her putting wasn't up to her standards. Her game wasn't as sharp as it was during her almost two-year reign at No. 1. in the women's global ranking.It was enough to score a 2-under-69. She closed the round with seven straight pars, winning by one over Matilda Castren, Finland, at Old American Golf Club. The club is about 30 minutes away from Ko's new home.Ko won the tournament for the first-time this year. This was just one week after she had lost the No. American golfer Nelly Korda ranked No. 1 and supplanted Ko with the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.Ko had not finished in the top 10 in four out of five LPGA Tour starts. She thrived, despite being close to her American home in Dallas. For her eighth LPGA win, she finished at 16-under 268. She is still No. She is still No. 2 in the world."I thought I was under a lot pressure because of the No. Ko stated, "I was thinking I had a lot of pressure with the No. 1 ranking." "But, I made it this Week. "I'm very happy."Jin Young Ko finished with seven consecutive pars to record a 2-under-69 and a one shot victory Sunday at the Volunteers of America Classic. AP Photo/Ray CarlinTo increase her lead by one shot, Ko opened with three birdies in four of the first holes. Castren, who was awarded her first LPGA Tour title at Lake Merced three weeks ago, kept Ko in the hunt with a pair birdies before turning.Castren was at risk of losing 3 shots on the par-5 13th. She was in trouble off her tee, and only 20 feet was left for par. Ko was about 12 feet away for a chance to birdie. Castren missed her par putt and the lead remained at 1.On the next hole, the roles were reversed as Ko missed her tee shot to the right and couldn’t reach the green. She pitched to 6 feet. Castren hit a wedge in the green but couldn't convert it for birdie. Ko saved par.Castren missed a par putt of 3 feet from the 15th hole. She fell 2 shots behind. Castren got up and down just short of the par-5-17th hole for birdie, and she stayed in the game even though Ko missed her birdie shot from 6 feet.Castren made a 25-foot birdie off the back green of the 18th, but it was missed to the left. This set up Ko's winning par.Castren stated that she played with Castren the last two days and it was really fun to watch her play. Castren said that she didn't make any mistakes and recovered well from her poor shots. It's clear to me why she was the world number one. I can see why she was world No. 1 for so many years."Gaby Lopez from Mexico finished with a 65 and was the only player to make bogey on this hole. She was 2 shots behind in third place.Esther Henseleit, a German player, was within two shots with five holes remaining. Her drive hit a tree on the 14th and she was forced to drop a penalty. She missed a putt of 4 feet and then fell four shots behind.Henseleit finished with a 72, tied for fourth with Ana Belac (68), and Emma Talley (63), who shot a career-low round of 63 on the LPGA Tour.Over the past few days Ko was surrounded by many people at Old American, including her parents who were there.Ko stated, "It was an amazing week."This report used information from The Associated Press.
