Archives for February 2025

Mikaela Shiffrin earns 100th World Cup win, joins exclusive century club

February 27, 2025 by Tara S

Mikaela Shiffrin has earned a record-extending 100th career Alpine skiing World Cup win, coming back from major injury to join a short list of athletes across all winter sports with triple-digit victories.

Shiffrin won a slalom by 61 hundredths of a second over Croatian Zrinka Ljutic combining times from two runs in Sestriere, Italy, on Sunday.

Minnesotan Paula Moltzan took third. It’s the third time of Shiffrin’s record-tying 155 career Alpine World Cup podiums that she’s joined by another American.

Shiffrin crossed the finish line and took multiple glances in the direction of a scoreboard before dropping down and lying on the snow. Moltzan helped her up, and they hugged

“I didn’t know if it said fourth or first. One hundred times later, and I still can’t find the darn scoreboard,” Shiffrin told media in Sestriere. “My feeling is blank a little bit. It’s overwhelming. It’s too hard to find thoughts for it. But that’s also a very peaceful moment because normally I’m only thinking. So sometimes it’s nice to have a moment where I can’t think.”

After a podium ceremony, a 60-second highlight video was shown of Shiffrin’s celebrations and victory interview clips over her career.

An interviewer then said, “After all you’ve been through these last months, 100 World Cup victories.” Shiffrin, through tears, thanked her, thanked her teammates, thanked her competitors, her coaches and the fans.

Shiffrin returned to the top in her sixth race back since missing two months following a Nov. 30 race crash. She sustained a puncture wound that tore oblique muscles and came very close to piercing organs. Shiffrin had been bidding for win No. 100 in that Nov. 30 giant slalom, leading after the first run before crashing in the second run.

“I have wondered in the last weeks so many times whether it is the right thing to come back,” she said. “We didn’t take the easy way, that’s for sure, but in the end, in order to keep moving forward and to finish this recovery, I have to be in start gate, and I have to experience these emotions when they’re good and when they’re bad. That’s really important. Today was just an amazing day in the middle of some really tough months, but I’m very thankful for this day.”

Shiffrin returned to competition Jan. 30 and placed 10th and fifth in her first two slaloms back (plus won the World Championships team combined with Breezy Johnson with the third-fastest slalom run).

She skipped the giant slalom at the World Championships, citing mental obstacles specific to GS coming back from the Nov. 30 crash. She returned to GS racing in Sestriere on Friday and Saturday.

“I do not yet feel entirely myself…but I do feel enough of myself to be here…and for now, that is enough,” she posted before her first GS races back.

On Friday, she placed 25th. On Saturday, she was 33rd in the opening GS run, not qualifying for the 30-skier second run for the first time since 2012 (when she was 17 years old, two months before her first World Cup win). She then trained slalom.

Then on Sunday, she had the fastest opening slalom run by nine hundredths over Ljutic. She was fourth-fastest in the second run skiing on battered snow as the 30th and final starter.

“I’m not there (in GS),” she said. “I feel like the mountain ahead of me to climb is steep and long, and if I get there, when I get there, it will be very sweet. For now, I just have to take this day and be grateful for it because it’s a small moment in the middle of many tough moments that makes me feel that maybe I can be good again.”

Shiffrin is commemorating No. 100 by partnering with Share Winter Foundation to raise $100,000 for learn to ski and snowboard programs for youth who otherwise would not have access to the sports.

“I know that not everyone is blessed with the good fortune I have come across; in fact, very few are, and over the years, the lack of accessibility for a diverse group of people in winter sports has funneled us into a very not diverse community,” Shiffrin said in a press release. “I see this 100 victory conversation as an opportunity to bring more eyes and, ideally, more passion to the sport. It’s incredible, of course, but I’d like to turn the spotlight to something bigger than me.

“Helping Share Winter bring more kids to the mountain is really meaningful. It’s far bigger than me winning 100 races. This will make that 100th victory one of the most meaningful to me.”

Over the last 12 years, Shiffrin has dealt with a range of hardships, both physical and mental, and returned to the top of podiums each time.

“This is probably the last moment that I would expect to achieve this, actually” she told Swiss broadcaster SRF. “It seems like even returning from injury, and in the last years of my career, there’s always expectation that I’m going to be on the top step. And for me, when I look around at the other athletes, at my competitors, it sometimes seems impossible that I can win these races. They’re so strong.”

In March 2023, she broke Swede Ingemar Stenmark’s Alpine record of 86 World Cup wins. Now she has reached a 100-victory milestone that few athletes have achieved across all winter sports World Cups.

Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen won 114 individual World Cup races before retiring in 2018 with a record 15 Winter Olympic medals.

Swiss skier Conny Kissling won 106 times in the 1980s and early 1990s, with most of the victories coming in an event combining moguls and aerials (which, separately, are Olympic disciplines) and acro or ballet (which is not an Olympic discipline).

Swiss Amelie Wagner-Reymond earned 164 World Cup victories from 2007-23 in telemark skiing, which is not an Olympic discipline.

Shiffrin reached 100 before her 30th birthday on March 13 by starting her tally early, dominating slalom for most of the last 12 years (63 World Cup slalom victories are 28 more than any other woman in history) and also winning the most giant slaloms in women’s World Cup history (22). She stayed relatively injury-free in a high-risk sport until two crashes in 2024.

The women’s Alpine skiing World Cup continues next weekend with two downhills and a super-G in Kvitfjell, Norway. Shiffrin is next expected to race the following weekend in Are, Sweden.

“Just to stand in the start gate and take the mentality (of) what I want to do is what I actually do, that’s not been totally connected (recently), but today it was,” Shiffrin said, “and that feels good for the soul.”

Three American women inside WTA top-5 for first time in 21 years

February 25, 2025 by Tara S

byCristhián Avila | Tennis Up to Date

Madison Keys has risen in the WTA rankings, joining Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the top five. This is a remarkable achievement, as it’s been more than 20 years since three American women were simultaneously ranked in this elite group.

The last time this happened, Serena Williams (No. 3), Lindsay Davenport (No. 4), and Jennifer Capriati (No. 5) were all inside the top five. Together, they won 29 Grand Slam titles and spent nearly 450 weeks at the top of the rankings, with Williams leading the way.

This time, it’s Coco Gauff (No. 3), Jessica Pegula (No. 4), and Madison Keys (No. 5) who have secured top-five spots in the same week. Keys reached her career-best ranking on Monday, benefiting from point losses by Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, which allowed her to move up despite not playing.

Madison Keys’ rise marks first American top-5 trio

Over the past 52 weeks, Gauff has won titles at the WTA Finals and China Open, Pegula has triumphed at WTA 1000 Toronto and WTA 500 Berlin, while Keys has claimed victories in Australia and at WTA 500 Strasbourg Open and Adelaide. They currently trail only Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1) and Iga Swiatek (No. 2), who have alternated at the top of the rankings since April 2022, when Swiatek replaced Ash Barty following her retirement. Together, Sabalenka and Swiatek have spent 152 weeks as WTA No. 1.

Madison Keys won her first Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open. She defeated 2-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Gauff, Pegula, and Keys highlight the strong presence of American women in the WTA Tour, marking the first time since Williams-Davenport-Capriati in 2003 that three Americans are in the top five—three legends of the game.

While they lead the charge, American tennis’ strength is further reflected in the current rankings, with four players in the top 10, including Emma Navarro. Expanding to the top 20, Danielle Collins (No. 14) and Amanda Anisimova (No. 18) also feature. As of this Monday, there are nine Americans in the top 50 and 17 in the top 100.

The legendary trio of American stars

All three—Williams, Davenport, and Capriati—reached world No. 1 and won multiple Grand Slam titles. Serena Williams’ historic career is well known, with 23 Grand Slam titles and 319 weeks as world No. 1 between 2002 and 2017. Her compatriots also had stellar careers, with their peak years in the early 2000s.

Capriati first reached world No. 1 in 2001 and held the top spot for a total of 17 weeks. She won three Grand Slams, reached three other major finals, and claimed 14 titles, including an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Serena Williams won a total of 23 Grand Slam titles.

Davenport, on the other hand, won three Grand Slams, finished runner-up in four, and amassed a total of 55 titles while losing 38 finals. She also had an impressive 130 wins against top-10 players. Davenport held the No. 1 ranking for 98 weeks, making her the 10th player in history with the most weeks at the top.

The three Americans competed against some of the best players of their era and true legends of the game. Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, and Maria Sharapova were among those who challenged the Americans in major events and also battled for the top spots in the WTA rankings.

WNBA Standout Monica Wright Rogers Named First GM of Toronto Tempo

February 25, 2025 by Tara S

The WNBA’s 14th franchise is gearing up for its 2026 debut, with the Toronto Tempo introducing former WNBA and NCAA star Monica Wright Rogers as their inaugural general manager on Thursday.

A two-time WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx and three-time collegiate All-American at Virginia, Wright Rogers’s resume lists coaching and front office stints at both the college and pro level. She most recently served as the Phoenix Mercury’s assistant general manager.

“The unique combination of experience that Monica will bring to this team is incredible. She’s a proven champion who understands the game from so many different perspectives,” said Toronto Tempo president Teresa Resch in a team release.

“And she’s so much more than the collection of her experiences. Monica is an incredible relationship-builder with a sharp eye for talent who embodies everything we want the Toronto Tempo to stand for: she’s warm, welcoming, smart, driven and fiercely competitive. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on board.”

A sold-out crowd of more than 19,000 WNBA fans packed Scotiabank Arena for a 2024 WNBA preseason game in Toronto. — A sold-out crowd of more than 19,000 fans packed Scotiabank Arena in Toronto for a 2024 WNBA preseason game . (Jordan Jones/NBAE via Getty Images)

Wright Rogers adds WNBA experience to Toronto expansion team

The WNBA announced its first-ever expansion into Canada in May 2024.

An investment group led by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum and his Kilmer Sports Ventures filed the WNBA expansion bid. Tanenbaum also chairs Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Argos, and Marlies.

Tanenbaum originally explored an expansion team via MLSE, but was turned down by other members of the board.

Wright Rogers will lead basketball operations for the Tempo, including hiring a head coach and building out the inaugural roster.

“The excitement about this team, and around women’s sports in general in Canada right now is palpable,” Wright Rogers said. “To have the opportunity to play such a key role in building this team in this country at this moment is an honour”

“Sports fans around the world should keep an eye on us,” she added.

The Changemakers: Black women who blazed trails of activism

February 19, 2025 by Tara S

Mariah Lee | Just Women’s Sports

On Nov. 29, 2014, five days after a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict the police officer who killed Micheal Brown, Ariyana Smith became the first athlete to bring the #BlackLivesMatter movement into the sports landscape.

While Muhammad Ali, Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James are commonly thought of as the torchbearers of sports activism, Just Women’s Sports knows Black women have always been at the forefront of driving change. In the first piece of our Black History Month series, we shared the stories of Rose Robinson and Wyomia Tyus, athletes who fought against injustice in the 1950s and ‘60s. Since then, a myriad of Black sportswomen have taken action, some recognized and some not.

Smith, a basketball player at Knox College, suited up to play against Fontbonne University in Clayton, Miss., mere minutes from Ferguson. When the national anthem began to play, Smith raised her hands in the now iconic “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture before laying on the ground. Officials tried to move Smith in an attempt to start the game, but she continued her demonstration for four and a half minutes, symbolic of the four and a half hours Mike Brown’s body lay in the street after he was killed.

While the #BlackLivesMatter movement has spurred a frenzy of demonstrations in sports, Black women have been championing a variety of topics before the age of kneeling began. In the past twenty years, issues of racism, sexism and equality have been thrust into the public discourse due to the actions of Black women in sports, committed to creating a more just world for those who come after them.

Toni Smith

More than a decade before Ariyana Smith took a stand, a different Smith protested the national anthem. In 2003, Toni Smith, a senior basketball player at Division III Manhattanville College, turned her back to the flag in protest against inequality and the country’s involvement in Iraq.

(Wayne Taylor/Getty Images)

Venus Williams

In 2006, Venus Williams penned an open letter in The Times in a push for equal pay. A year earlier, she had addressed the Grand Slam Board, advocating for an equal distribution of prize money at the French Open and Wimbledon. Williams’ voice brought attention to the pay discrepancies in the sport of tennis and led to the leveling of pay at Wimbledon. When she won her fourth Wimbledon trophy in 2007, Williams became the first woman to receive the same earnings as that of the men’s champion.

Seimone Augustus

Seimone Augustus, a four-time WNBA champion and one of the most decorated players in women’s basketball, advocated for gay marriage in 2012. The 2011 WNBA Finals MVP wanted to marry her wife in the state where she had won a championship the year prior. The Minnesota Lynx star spoke out against a ballot measure that would have made same-sex marriage illegal in the Minnesota state constitution.

Brittney Griner and Layshia Clarendon

In 2017, Brittney Griner and Layshia Clarendon co-wrote an op-ed in which they voiced their opposition to a Texas bill that would have barred transgender people from using restrooms and other public facilities of their choosing. The WNBA stars saw the bill as a danger to queer athletes who may have been forced to use a locker room that differed from their gender identity.

Maya Moore

Maya Moore, one of the most accomplished women’s basketball players in the history of the sport, stepped away from the game at the peak of her success to pursue criminal justice reform. Moore dedicated herself to freeing her now-husband Jonathan Irons, who had been falsely imprisoned for burglary and assault. With the help of Moore, a judge overturned Irons’ conviction after he spent 23 years of his life in prison.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams has been outspoken about gender and racial equality for most of her illustrious tennis career. She wrote an open letter in 2016 addressing equal pay, and another in 2017, on Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, focusing on pay inequities unique to Black women. In 2018, Serena and Venus Williams joined the Billie Jean King Initiative to push for equal pay for women in all industries.

(Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Allyson Felix

Allyson Felix brought attention to Nike’s refusal to guarantee salary protections for pregnant athletes in a 2019 New York Times op-ed. Felix, the most decorated U.S. track athlete, said that Nike attempted to pay her 70 percent less after she became a mother. Shortly after Felix’s public appeal, the company expanded its pregnancy benefits for women athletes.

Allyson Felix and Serena Williams are also champions for Black maternal health. Both women experienced life-threatening complications during childbirth, common to Black women. Felix underwent an emergency C-section to save herself and her daughter after doctors discovered she had severe preeclampsia. Williams developed a pulmonary embolism and a hematoma shortly after she gave birth, resulting in a series of surgeries and weeks of recovery before regaining her health.

Williams’ story brought national attention to the Black maternal health crisis, and she invested $3 million in a Black-owned startup aimed at improving prenatal and postpartum care for new mothers. Felix testified before Congress to petition the government to address systemic biases that lead to disparities in maternal mortality.

Gwen Berry

Gwen Berry raised her fist during the national anthem after winning the hammer throw at the 2019 Pan American games. Berry, a thrower for the U.S. women’s track and field team, was protesting racial inequality and police brutality, and was subsequently put on a 12-month probation by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. As a result, Berry lost several sponsorship deals, totaling nearly $50,000. After the Olympic Committee reversed their stance on protests in 2020, Berry demonstrated again at the 2021 Olympic Trials, this time by turning away from the flag.

Naomi Osaka

Days after Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisc., Naomi Osaka refused to play the semifinals of the Western and Southern Open, forcing the tournament’s postponement. Less than a week later, she arrived at the 2020 U.S. Open with seven masks in her duffle bag, each embroidered with the name of a Black victim of police violence: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile and Tamir Rice. Osaka wore a different mask during each round of the tournament, winning her second U.S. Open title while drawing international attention to police brutality.

(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Raven Saunders

At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, while standing on the podium, Raven Saunders raised her arms and crossed them into an “X.” The American made the Game’s first podium demonstration after winning silver in the shot put. As a gay, Black woman with a history of mental health struggles, Saunders’ crossed arms symbolized the intersection of her oppressed identities.

Simone Biles

On the eve of further cementing herself as the greatest gymnast of all time, Simone Biles withdrew from the team final and women’s individual all-around final at the Tokyo Games. She cited mental exhaustion and physical health concerns after experiencing the “twisties,” a state of dissociation that inhibits a gymnast from completing a skill.

As arguably the face of the Tokyo Olympics, dealing with the pressure of breaking world records, Biles felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. In a sport that has long demanded obedience from its young athletes, the simple act of saying “no” sparked a moment of reckoning in sports. Biles, who announced in 2018 that she was sexually abused by Larry Nassar, a longtime doctor for USA Gymnastics, spurred conversations about mental health, abuse and exploitation with her decision. Biles, like so many other Black women athletes, continues to leverage her platform to drive societal change.

Mariah Lee is a professional athlete and freelance writer who specializes in the intersection of race and sports. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a M.S. from the Wake Forest School of Business. Follow her on Instagram @merdashewrote.

Napheesa Collier Wins Unrivaled 1v1 Tournament

February 19, 2025 by Tara S

Grant Young | Sports Illustrated

The Unrivaled one-on-one women’s basketball tournament has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of this league’s inaugural season.

There’s nothing like the world’s best basketball players going mano a mano while being broadcast on national TV. And while a ton of players have impressed across the tournament, the top who stood out among the pack were both former UConn Huskies: Unrivaled co-founder and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and 2024 WNBA rookie for the Washington Mystics, Aaliyah Edwards.

These two stars met in the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament final after Edwards defeated Arike Ogunbowale and Collier beat Azurá Stevens during the Semifinals.

Unlike the rest of the tournament, the Finals were a best-of-three series, with each game being to 8 points instead of 11. Edwards secured Game 1 by a score of 9-6. Then Collier secured a smooth Game 2 victory by a score of 9-4.

Therefore, the tournament — and $200,000 cash prize to the winner — all came down to Game 3.

And it was Napheesa Collier who emerged victorious in Game 3, blanking Edwards by a score of 8-0 and as a result, getting crowned as the first Unrivaled one-on-one champion in the league’s history.

It was a successful evening for all four semifinalists, as they all got $25,000 for getting this far in the tournament. Being the runner-up, Edwards got $50,000. And every player on Lunar Owls BC gets $10,000 solely from being Collier’s teammate.

The Unrivaled broadcast noted how Collier was keen on doing this one-on-one tournament when putting the league together with co-founder Breanna Stewart. And we can now understand why.

Jessica Campbell continues to inspire the hockey world in 1st season with Seattle Kraken

February 19, 2025 by Tara S

Niko Tamurian, KOMO Sports Director

Jessica Campbell is making history. Every single time the Seattle Kraken takes the ice, Campbell inspires as the first woman to work as an NHL assistant coach on the bench.

She accepted the role last summer, and now that the Kraken approaches a two-week break for the Four Nations Tournament, we caught up with Coach Campbell to get an update on the experience and the meaning of everything she’s accomplishing.

“As far as the experience, it’s been wonderful,” Campbell said. “The guys have been great, just try continue to do my part every day in ways to have a strong impact on the team and get better and demand more of ourselves, demand more of the guys.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=MBa5ZEPUn1g%3Ffeature%3Dshared

Indeed, it is a new era for the Kraken with Campbell and Head Coach Dan Bylsma taking over the team in just its fourth season since entering the league. So I had to ask how exciting it was to be a part of it and trying to work to lay the foundation for this Kraken team as it hopes to establish itself as a perennial playoff contender.

“Exciting is probably a great word, for me it’s, the season is always full of highs and lows and all sorts of waves and I think just riding those waves and taking it all in,” Campbell said.

Taking it all in certainly pertains to the experience of this first NHL season after a life in hockey. Campbell played in college at Cornell and turned that playing prowess into a coaching career.

She landed with the Kraken organization working with Bylsma with the franchise’s American Hockey League affiliate in Coachella Valley. When the Kraken made a coaching change last April, Bylsma and Campbell came to Seattle and history was made.

“There’s a responsibility I think that comes with the opportunity that I have, carrying this torch for the next generation of young girls, young boys to be able to dream things they never thought was possible,” Campbell said. “I never pictured this opportunity for myself, I never had it to look up to.”

ALSO SEE | Jessica Campbell and the Kraken make history, but this move is all about winning

It’s incredible to think that she is doing what she loves, and that it just so happens doing what she loves is absolutely inspiring so many to do the same.

“That’s what it’s all about right? Just inspiring the next generation to believe in also dreams that they don’t traditionally see themselves in,” Campbell said. “It’s not just about young girls, it’s also about young boys, what they look up to – who they see is in a leadership position. I think it’s huge for eliminating that gap that we have and just continue to open doors for others to come into this space and find themselves following their own dreams.”

That’s why when we say Jessica Campbell is inspirational, it’s the most unequivocal fact you can encounter. She is making history and she is a coach that has earned every opportunity with an incredible offensive mind that is on full display to anyone who watches a Kraken game.

But she’s embraced Seattle, a city that certainly has supported her incredible journey. Her groundbreaking NHL season has been nominated by the Seattle Sports Commission as a finalist for “Sports Story of the Year.”

That support? It goes well beyond awards though, prestigious as they may be.

It’s about connecting with this city and its fans. And really, hockey fans all over the country.

“There was actually a moment in Dallas early on that inspired me to make bracelets for young kids because this little girl came with her mom,” Campbell said. “Mom was teary eyed at the back of the glass during warmups. She threw the bracelet over the top, it landed on the ice and Jamie Oleksiak and (Brandon) Montour they picked it up and brought it over in the middle of their warmups and it was an important moment I think because I think for me it truly captured what this means for young girls, young women and adults that are able to be on the sideline and see what this means for the growth of the game and I’m just so proud to get to do what I love every day and for it to have a bigger meaning beyond the game so I don’t take for granted any opportunity I have to connect with fans.”

Campbell’s lifelong journey on the ice as compelling as it’s been is just getting started. She hopes to be in Seattle for a long time to come. She hopes to inspire more change and give so many people in an out of hockey something to believe in.

And for all the things she hopes for, there’s one thing she knows for certain.

Because of all this, Jessica Campbell may be the first but certainly won’t be the last woman to coach an NHL team.

Women Involved in the Super Bowl

February 11, 2025 by Tara S

Women’s Sports Foundation

Super Bowl LVIX is in the books and we’re highlighting some of the women who played key roles in helping to build both teams’ Super Bowl rosters:

🦅 Philadelphia Eagles
– Ameena Soliman, Director of Football Operations/Pro Scout and 2020 WSF Scott Pioli & Family Fund recipient
– Autumn Lockwood, Associate Performance Coach and the first Black woman coach to win a Super Bowl
– Laural McHale, Scouting Assistant

🐺 Kansas City Chiefs
– Madison Aponte, Player Personnel Coordinator
– Ellie Perrigo, Player Personnel Assistant

While these women are making an impact today, we need more women in football leadership in the future. That’s why the WSF Scott Pioli & Family Fund for Women Football Coaches and Scouts is breaking down barriers by providing direct financial support to help more women advance in football coaching and scouting. hashtag#TheEquityProject

USA U19 Women’s Team Reaches Super Sixes in 2025 ICC World Cup

February 11, 2025 by Tara S

First-time LPGA Tour Champion Yealimi Noh Wins Founders Cup

February 11, 2025 by Tara S

dee lab | just women’s sports

After four days of stiff competition, the 2025 Founders Cup yielded a first-time LPGA Tour winner on Sunday as US golfer Yealimi Noh surged to victory on strong back-nine play in Bradenton, Florida.

The world No. 32-ranked Noh kicked off her sixth season with the LPGA by lifting her first trophy in her 111th start.

In just two holes on Sunday, the 23-year-old flipped a one-shot deficit into a three-shot lead, eventually claiming the $300,000 championship check with an overall 21-under-par performance.

“I always knew it would happen and it was a matter of time,” Noh told reporters after her win. “To really get it done, and especially in the first tournament of the year, is really nice.”

Noh, who earned a captain’s nod in the 2021 Solheim Cup, is officially on an upswing. After less successful 2022 and 2023 seasons, she made 21 cuts across her 25 LPGA starts in 2024, helping fuel last weekend’s blockbuster 2025 debut.

“Having a lot of better results and getting my confidence back and contending a few times last season really helped me carry that out through the winter and just really prepare for this week,” she explained. “[I] just felt really ready — this was going to be my year and week.”

South Korea's Jin Young Ko plays a shot during the 2025 Founders Cup's final round. — Jin Young Ko made bogeys on Sunday’s 13th and the 14th hole to finish the Founders Cup in second place. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Founders Cup sees additional standout performances

Just behind Noh on last weekend’s leaderboard is No. 7 Jin Young Ko. The South Korean star’s narrow lead fell when she made her first bogeys of the competition, logging two back-to-back on Sunday.

The 15-time LPGA title-winner capped her tournament four strokes back from Noh, with US golfer and world No. 17 Megan Khang one stroke behind Ko in third place.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda finished tied for seventh place after capping her Founders Cup outing nine shots behind Noh.

The US star will next take a seven-week break, opting to sit out the upcoming trio of LPGA Tour stops in Asia. Korda will instead continue to search for her first victory of 2025 at the end of March, when she tees off at the Ford Championship in Chandler, Arizona.