San Francisco (United States) (AFP) – South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo held off a final day charge from Nelly Korda to clinch a one-shot victory at the LPGA Tour’s Fortinet Founders Cup tournament in California on Sunday. Kim, who started the day five shots clear of Korda, carded a closing one-over-par 73 to finish on 16 under at the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, outside San Francisco. Korda fired a three-under-par 69 in a valiant bid that came up just short, leaving her on 15 under for the tournament.
The victory marked Kim’s second victory in the tournament after she won the Founders when it was held in Arizona in 2015. The 30-year-old Kim had watched final round partner Korda whittle away at her five-shot advantage with a blistering front nine. Korda, who was playing after tennis-playing younger brother Sebastian dumped world number one Carlos Alcaraz out of the Miami Open earlier Sunday, rattled off six birdies in the first 10 holes to pull level with Kim at 17 under just after the turn.
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But just when it seemed as if Korda was building unstoppable momentum, the 27-year-old two-time major champion wobbled, and she failed to make a birdie in her final eight holes to surrender the initiative. Kim regained her one-shot lead on the 11th hole with a birdie after Korda found a bunker with her second shot and could only par. Both players then bogeyed the 12th, and Kim retained her lead on the par-three 13th when she parred after hitting the pin with her second shot.
Korda gave herself a chance to level on the 14th after hitting a lob wedge second shot to eight feet. Kim, though, was equal to the challenge, and when she curled in a long birdie putt, the pressure was back on Korda. Korda was unable to make birdie, and suddenly Kim had a two-shot cushion with four holes to play. Korda trimmed the lead to one on the 16th when Kim bogeyed, and then looked poised to square it on the 17th when Kim’s tee shot flew through the back of the green.
But Kim produced a sensational up and down from the rough to make par, and when Korda three-putted, the Korean was leading by two heading to 18. She duly closed out victory despite a bogey on the last.
© 2024 AFP
