Choi Ye-rim, who had finished as a runner-up nine times on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, finally lifted her first victory trophy at her 239th tournament.
On September 6, at the Adonis Country Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Choi shot a final round of 71, with three birdies and two bogeys, to finish at 10-under 206 in the KLPGA Tour OK Savings Bank Eutman Open, which had a total prize purse of 1 billion won.
Choi secured her victory by one stroke over Lim Hee-jung, who finished at 9-under 207.
With this win, Choi earned 180 million won in prize money, moving her up to third place in both the season's prize money ranking and the Player of the Year points standings.
Since debuting on the KLPGA regular tour in 2018, Choi had not won until now. Before this tournament, she had participated in 238 events, finishing in the top 10 on 52 occasions and surpassing 3 billion won in cumulative earnings, but had yet to claim a title. In June, she lost in a playoff at the McCall & Mona Yongpyong Open, marking her ninth runner-up finish.
This tournament was different. Starting the final round with a three-stroke lead, Choi extended her advantage to six strokes with birdies on the 1st (par 4), 5th (par 5), and 9th (par 5) holes.
However, she faced challenges on the back nine, recording bogeys on the 14th (par 4) and 16th (par 4) holes, allowing Lim to close the gap to just one stroke. On the final hole, the 18th (par 4), Choi's tee shot went into the right rough, but she managed to get her second shot onto the green and calmly two-putted for par, securing her first victory.
In a post-victory interview, Choi expressed her disbelief, saying, "In the past, I cried when I finished as a runner-up, but I tried to forget it and focus on my game. I still can't believe I won."
She added, "I was nervous because I had previously lost in a match where I had a lead. But I kept telling myself, 'I am already a winner,' which helped me a lot. I had no idea about the score; I just focused on my own play."
Kim Min-sol finished in third place with a total of 8-under 208, reclaiming the top spot in the season's prize money ranking, surpassing Seo Kyo-rim, who did not participate in this tournament.
Lee Ye-won and Park Bo-gyeom tied for fourth place with a total of 6-under 210. Shin Da-in, who was aiming for consecutive victories, finished in a tie for sixth with a score of 5-under 211, alongside Sung Yu-jin.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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