Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – South Korea’s Hwang You-min fired a closing five-under-par 67 to claim her first LPGA Tour victory at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii on Saturday. The 22-year-old from Seoul produced a scintillating late birdie spree — rattling off four birdies in her closing four holes — to finish on 17 under for the tournament at the Hoakalei Country Club. That was good enough to vault Hwang ahead of a high-caliber field, which saw compatriot Kim Hyo-joo finish second on 16 under following a closing 68. Japan’s Minami Katsu was two off the lead on 15 under, while US star Nelly Korda was among four players tied for fourth.
Hwang, meanwhile, was left stunned by her win; a victory means she has now secured an LPGA Tour card for the first time. “I actually didn’t believe in myself, but my caddie he supported me very well during the course,” Hwang said through an interpreter.
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Korda’s hopes of victory fizzled out with a costly bogey on the 16th, which left her on 14 under with two holes to play. Two-time major winner Korda, the former world number one, was left ruing her late bogey. “A little disappointed,” Korda said. “That one hole obviously where I bogeyed, I still had a chance to par and missed a short putt. Overall I’m putting myself into contention. It’s definitely an interesting year for me result-wise, but at the end of the day I’m giving it 100%, controlling what I can control, and I’m happy with that.”
© 2024 AFP
