Australia's Grace Kim wins LPGA Lotte Championship after play-off
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Grace Kim poses with the Lotte Championship trophy at Hoakalei Country Club.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – Australia’s Grace Kim was at a loss for words after winning the Lotte Championship on Saturday via a three-woman play-off in Oahu, Hawaii, for her first LPGA Tour triumph.
China’s Liu Yu held the clubhouse lead on 12-overall 276 but Kim and South Korean Sung Yu-jin both joined her at the top of the leaderboard after making birdies on the final hole to force the play-off.
The trio went to the par-five, first hole for the sudden-death play-off and while Liu made par and Sung bogeyed, Kim produced a birdie for the victory.
Kim, 22, who has picked up five wins on the WPGA Tour of Australasia, was playing just her third event on the LPGA Tour.
The world No. 178 birdied the final two holes and then in the play-off took a three-wood for her second shot, which fizzed over the water to the edge of the green.
“I think just the birdie on 17 was definitely the big momentum changer. I am just kind of speechless right now,” said Kim, who mixed six birdies with two bogeys in her four-under 68 final round.
“I will let you know that my second shot on that play-off hole, that wasn’t intentional. I kind of got lucky there. I guess it was a good day after all.
“I really didn’t have high expectations. Just really tried to play my game. Didn’t try to force anything. Just trying to, I guess, go with the flow.
“I’m still speechless that it’s kind of over and I got the job done.”
Liu, 27, yet to win on the LPGA Tour, produced the round of the day with an eight-birdie, bogey-free 64 at the Hoakalei Country Club after starting the day five shots off the lead.
She got off to a flying start with four birdies in the opening five holes but said she had not felt under any pressure to attack.
She had a long wait for the play-off as the clubhouse leader before losing out in the decider.
“It was a bit unexpected to be honest. Honestly out there on the course I wasn’t really thinking any score-wise. I felt pretty overachieved today,” she said.
“If I knew starting off the day I would end up in a play-off I would be definitely very happy. Just focus on one shot at a time. Definitely paid off.”
Sung posted four birdies against one bogey for her final-round 69.
Chinese Taipei’s Chien Pei-yun (67) and Sweden’s Linnea Strom (69) both finished just a stroke behind the leading trio.
American Lauren Hartlage (70), Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap (70) and England’s Georgia Hall (71) were tied for sixth place, three strokes back of the leaders.
The Chevron Championship, the first women’s Major of the year, starts this week in Texas.
AFP, REUTERS
