HONOLULU — Australian rookie Grace Kim received the LOTTE Championship on Saturday at breezy Hoakalei Nation Membership for her first LPGA Tour title, beating Yu Liu and Yu Jin Sung with a birdie on the primary gap of a playoff.
Whereas Liu and Sung scrambled after hitting their second pictures to the left of the inexperienced on the par-5 18th, the 22-year-old Kim went over the water to the best, then chipped to eight toes to arrange her birdie.
“I undoubtedly needed to have an excellent go at it realizing that the inexperienced wasn’t the very best, I assume, angle in from the place we had been,” Kim stated. “I must admit that I wasn’t planning to go that aggressive. I did push it proper. So simply letting you guys know. Yeah, I assume, yeah, I obtained fortunate.”
Liu made a par and Sung had a bogey, hitting her third over the inexperienced and previous Kim’s second.
“I actually did not have excessive expectations,” Kim stated. “Simply actually tried to play my recreation. Did not attempt to drive something. Simply making an attempt to I assume drift. I am nonetheless speechless that it is sort of accomplished already and I obtained the job accomplished.”
Taking part in alongside Sung within the last threesome, Kim shot a 4-under 68, rebounding from a bogey on the par-4 14th to birdie the final two holes. She obtained up and down from the front-left bunker on 18 in regulation, making a 7-footer.
“I feel after bogeying 14, I simply tried to present it my all.” Kim stated. “I attempted my finest and it got here out to be an excellent outcome. Birdie on 17, in fact, was a terrific momentum ahead, so undoubtedly gave it an aggressive go on 18, and birdied it twice, which is nice.”
Sung completed with a 69, getting up and down from the entrance proper bunker on 18 with a 9-footer. The 22-year-old South Korean performed on a sponsor exemption after profitable the LOTTE Open final 12 months on the Korean LPGA.
“Very attention-grabbing and good expertise for my golf life,” Sung stated. “Superb expertise.”
Liu started the spherical 5 strokes behind Sung in a tie for fifteenth, then shot a 64 — the very best rating within the two years at Hoakalei — to publish a 12-under 276. The 27-year-old from China completed about an hour earlier than the ultimate group.
“It was a bit sudden to be trustworthy,” the previous Duke participant stated. “I felt fairly overachieved right this moment.”
Linnea Strom, the Swede enjoying within the second-to-last group, missed a 10-foot birdie strive on 18 to complete a stroke again with Peiyun Chien. Strom shot a 69, with a double bogey on the 14th. Chien, from Taiwan, closed with a 67.
“Hit an excellent putt,” Strom stated. “Simply misinterpret it somewhat bit.”
Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, tied for the lead after every of the primary two rounds, had a 70 to tie for sixth at 9 below. The 20-year-old Vongtaveelap was making her second LPGA Tour begin. In February, she received her first two occasions as professional on the Thai LPGA Tour, then was second behind Lilia Vu within the LPGA Thailand.
Lauren Hartlage (70) and Georgia Corridor (71) additionally had been 9 below.
Brooke Henderson, at No. 7 the highest-ranked participant within the discipline, had a 71 to tie for eleventh at 7 below. She’s the one a number of winner in occasion historical past, taking the 2018 and 2019 titles at Ko Olina.
The Chevron Championship, the primary girls’s main championship of the 12 months, is subsequent week in Texas.
Kim obtained an sudden journey to Houston.
“I really did not register till Superstition week as a result of I assumed I had no probability of moving into Chevron,” Kim stated. “Listening to different folks saying that they might get an opportunity, I used to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, you recognize what? I will simply enter.’ Simply topped it off right this moment. Very excited.”
