Kim shot a 1-over 73 on Monday in the final round at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park, California, with four birdies and five bogeys on the par-72 course.
She finished at 16-under 272, edging Nelly Korda of the United States by one shot. Korda was 15-under 273. The winner’s check was $450,000 (about 680 million won).
The victory was Kim’s first since the Ford Championship in March last year. She also became the eighth South Korean player to reach eight LPGA wins, joining a list that includes Pak Se-ri (25), Park In-bee (21), Ko Jin-young (15), Kim Sei-young (13), Shin Ji-ae (11), Choi Na-yeon (9) and Kim Mi-hyun (8).
Kim led from the opening round through the final round for a wire-to-wire win, reclaiming the title 11 years after her first Founders Cup victory in 2015, her LPGA debut season.
“Unexpected things happened, like being tied after leading,” Kim said in a televised interview after the win. “I have some regrets, but I’m happy to win,” she said with a smile.
With Kim’s victory, South Korea has won two straight LPGA events, following Lee Mi-hyang’s win at the Blue Bay LPGA two weeks ago. It is the first time since 2020 that South Korean players have won two of the season’s first five tournaments. That year, Park Hee-young won the ISPS Handa Vic Open and Park In-bee won the ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open.
South Korean players also stood out on the leaderboard, placing four golfers in the top five.
Kim Sei-young and Lim Jin-hee tied for third at 11-under 277. For Kim Sei-young, it was her second top-10 finish of the season after a tie for 10th at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Yoo Hae-ran finished tied for fifth at 10-under 278.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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