Korean men's and women's golf reached a significant milestone by winning titles on the same day at the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events. Yoo Hae-ran and Kim Joo-hyung were the stars of the day.
Yoo Hae-ran secured the championship trophy at the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major of the LPGA Tour season, held at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France, on July 12 (local time). She finished with a total score of 19-under-par 265, tying with Brooke Henderson of Canada, and clinched victory with a birdie in the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th.
This victory marks a significant achievement in golf history for Yoo. Just 13 days prior, she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, tying the record for the shortest interval between major victories held by Meg Mallon. She also became the fourth Korean player to win two majors in a single season, following Se-ri Pak (1998), Inbee Park (2013, 2015), and Jin-young Ko (2019).
Notably, Yoo is the first Korean player to win back-to-back LPGA major titles since Inbee Park swept three majors in 2013. She is also the fourth Korean to win this tournament, joining Hyo-joo Kim (2014), Jin-Young Ko (2016), and Jin-young Ko (2019), and has now achieved a total of five wins on the tour.
Shortly after Yoo's victory, another triumph was reported from Scotland. Kim Joo-hyung showcased remarkable focus at the Genesis Scottish Open, also held on July 12, where he recorded six birdies without a single bogey. He finished with a total score of 17-under-par 263, defeating Australian Min Woo Lee, who finished at 15-under-par 265, by two strokes.
This win ended a 33-month drought for Kim, who last won at the Shriners Children’s Open in October 2023, marking his fourth career victory on the PGA Tour. At just 24 years old, he became the fourth non-American player to achieve four or more PGA Tour wins before turning 25, following Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Hideki Matsuyama.
Since debuting on the PGA Tour in 2022, Kim faced a challenging period, missing the cut in nine of the 26 tournaments he entered last year and only finishing in the top 10 once. However, a third-place finish at the U.S. Open in June helped him regain his form, culminating in this latest victory.
This historic achievement marks the second time that Korean players have won on the same day at both the PGA and LPGA Tours, following the victories of Im Sung-jae at the Shriners Children’s Open and Ko Jin-young at the Cognizant Founders Cup on October 10, 2021.
While there have been instances of Korean players winning on both tours in the same week, previous victories were separated by a day due to weather delays or time zone differences. Golf Channel highlighted this achievement on social media, stating, "Korean golf is on fire. Kim Joo-hyung and Yoo Hae-ran both won on the same weekend, marking the second time in history for Korean players."
Yoo Hae-ran, having won back-to-back majors, will take a short break before preparing for the AIG Women’s Open, which begins on July 31 (Korean time). Meanwhile, Kim Joo-hyung aims to carry his momentum into the final major of the season, the British Open, starting on July 17.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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