Hyo Joo Kim won the LOTTE Championship on the LPGA Tour, holding off a late charge from Hinako Shibuno.
Kim scored a 1-under 71 to finish at 11-under 277, two strokes ahead of Shibuno at Hoakalei Country Club, following a bogey on the par-4 17th with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th.
Kim took home $300,000 for winning her fifth LPGA Tour tournament.
“There were a lot of expectations, but there was also a lot of support from friends and family,” said Kim, who won at Evian Championship at the age of 19.
“There have been ups and downs, but I believe I am on the upswing right now, and I am extremely proud, a little optimistic about the future, and the prognosis appears bright for me moving forward.”
After a three-stroke lead after the second and third rounds, the 26-year-old South Korean star held off a final-round charge from Shibuno, the Japanese golfer who shot a bogey-free 70.
Kim shot a 1 under par opening nine. She hit her approach on the par-5 fifth hole, which measured 540 yards, to within 3 feet of the pin to set up a birdie opportunity.
She birdied No. 8, but bogeyed the par-3 ninth hole, which went from 146 yards in the third round to 184 yards in the final round.
After some controversy, Kim birdied No. 18. Her tee shot missed the fairway and landed in the right rough. Her second shot crossed the fairway and landed in the left rough’s first cut.
Kim, on the other hand, came back with a pitch shot that resulted in a tap-in with her third.
Kim is one of only ten players who have competed in every Lotte Championship since its inception in 2012.
“I’ve been in the Lotte Championship since the beginning, and because Lotte is my personal sponsor, I’ve always wanted to win and do well,” she explained.
Shibuno’s second shot on 18 left her with little over 200 yards to the front of the green, but her ball hit the lip of a greenside bunker and sank back in. She then proceeded to par the hole.
“I was having a lot of fun with her.”
“I couldn’t go in with my putting, so that was (different) with her,” Shibuno explained.
After a 69, Hye-Jin Choi finished third at 7 under par.
Brianna Do, who was in the final group with Kim and Shibuno, started the round three strokes behind the leader, but struggled to a 77 and finished in a tie for 12th place.
Do was aiming to become the first local qualifier to win an LPGA Tour event since Brooke Henderson won the Portland Classic in 2015.
