Golfer Kim Hyo-joo hopes Aramco Team Series Korea victory will be a ‘turning point’

SEOUL – Six-time LPGA Tour winner Kim Hyo-joo lived up to her tournament-favourite billing at the Aramco Team Series – Korea by winning the Ladies European Tour (LET) event on home soil on May 12.

Following mixed results on the LPGA Tour this season, the South Korean believes that victory in front of her loyal supporters at the New Korea Country Club would serve as a “turning point” for her.

But, while it seemed like everything had followed the script, the 28-year-old was made to work for her victory.

With heavy rain disrupting play on the second day of the US$1 million (S$1.36 million) event, Kim was back at the competition venue early on May 12 to complete the remaining nine holes of her second round.

Despite the long day, Kim carded a four-under 68 in the final round, signing for a 10-under 206 total to take home the trophy and the winners’ cheque of €69,710 (S$102,000).

She finished three strokes ahead of England’s Charley Hull (68), with South African Casandra Alexander (67) and Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe (71) five shots behind on tied-third.

Kim said: “I’m very thrilled. I haven’t won on the LET before so keeping this in mind, I was able to get this trophy so it makes this win all the more special.”

The 2014 Evian Championship winner went into the final round with a two-stroke lead over Uribe and three shots ahead of Hull. But world No. 8 Hull closed the gap on Kim to just one stroke after a blistering front nine that saw her mix five birdies with a bogey.

This pressure only served as motivation for Kim, who said: “Charley did hit a lot of birdies, that’s why the competitiveness in me boiled up and brought out the best in me.”

With fatigue creeping in in the second half of the round, the world No. 12 made sure to sustain her energy levels by munching on some snacks for a quick pick-me-up.

Backed by the support of her fan club Shooting Star, the South Korean responded with three birdies from holes No. 14 to 17 to give herself a four-stroke cushion and cement her lead, even as she ended the round with a bogey on the 18th.

Kim hopes that this victory will act as a springboard for greater success on the LPGA Tour and the Paris Olympics as she admitted that she had not been at her best.

She has had mixed results on the LPGA Tour in 2024. She finished joint-fifth at the Honda LPGA Thailand and tied-eighth at the Ford Championship, but missed one cut and came in joint-47th in her last three tournaments.

Kim said: “Before today’s win, my own performance was not satisfactory to my own standards but this win serves as a turning point for me.

“So this is a good start for me and it gives me more confidence going back to the United States and the Olympics.”

Singapore’s only representative Shannon Tan (72) placed tied-15th on three-over 219 and tied-sixth in the team event with her side finishing with an 18-under 270 total.

The team event was won by six-time LPGA winner Danielle Kang’s squad also including England’s Lily May Humphreys, China’s Tian Xiaolin and amateur Lee Kyu-ho, who shot a 23-under 265.

“I’m very happy to have met a great team,” said Kang, who finished tied-67th in the individual event with a nine-over 153 total.

“I’ve learnt a lot through the tournament and although I didn’t make the cut in the individual event, I feel very happy because winning the team trophy was the one thing I wished for.”