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| Hyo-Joo Kim / Photo=GettyImages |
Kim carded a 1-over 73 in the final round—four birdies and five bogeys—at the LPGA Tour Fortinet Founders Cup (total purse $3 million (approximately 4 billion KRW)) on March 23 (Korean time) at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club (par 72 / 6,542 yards) in Menlo Park, California.
She finished at 16-under 272, edging out Nelly Korda of the United States, who closed at 15-under 273, by one stroke.
The victory was Kim’s first since last March’s Ford Championship, her first of the season, and the eighth LPGA win of her career.
After the round, Kim said, “I played very well on the first day and really struggled on the second. I played well on the third, so I knew today would be tough—but it still wasn’t easy. I’m just relieved and very happy to win.”
With the win, Kim led wire-to-wire across all four rounds and reclaimed the tournament trophy for the first time since 2015, an 11-year gap.
“This is the event I won as a rookie, so winning here again means a lot,” she said. “As for leading wire-to-wire, I don’t see it as anything especially remarkable. What matters is who’s on top at the end, so I don’t dwell on it.”
Kim entered the final round with a five-shot lead over Korda but was unable to add strokes on the front nine.
Korda, meanwhile, picked up four shots on the front nine and added a birdie at No. 10 to briefly pull even.
Rather than focus on Korda, Kim stayed locked on her own game. “I couldn’t let myself be swayed by my opponent’s play today,” she explained. “My game wasn’t as sharp as I expected, so I had to concentrate on my own play.”
She added, “When you’re leading, it’s easy to get anxious about someone chasing you. Because I couldn’t make many moves on the front nine, I really wanted to make birdies on the back. Maybe that’s why I didn’t panic.”
Despite Korda’s charge, Kim held on to a one-stroke lead to secure the title. “I thought it was better to keep attacking, even if it meant risking bogeys, rather than just playing for pars,” she said. “I did make a bogey at the end, but I’m so relieved to have won.”
Kim closed by saying, “Putting was my strongest area this week, and I’m pleased with how many birdies I made. The weather was great—I was worried it might be cold, but this week has made me really happy. I’ll take away some very good memories.”
[Sports Today reporter Kang Tae-gu sports@stoo.com]
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