“I feel like I took a lot of (supplements).”
U.S. LPGA player Hyo Joo Kim (29-LOTTE) has once again won a tournament on home soil.
Kim fired a 4-under 68 with five birdies and one bogey in the final three rounds of the Aramco Series Korea ($1 million purse), a Ladies European Tour (LET) event, on Wednesday at New Korea Country Club (par-72) in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
With a final total of 10-under-par 206, Kim was crowned the inaugural champion of the Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF-Korea by three strokes over World No. 8 Charley Hull (7-under-par 209).
Kim, who shot 4-under par on the first day of the tournament, never relinquished the lead over the course of the three rounds and was delighted with her wire-to-wire victory. For her victory, she earned $75,000 (approximately $130,000) in prize money.
After the second round was postponed due to rain the day before, Kim played the remainder of the tournament on the final day and went into the third round with a two-stroke lead, but her game never wavered.
After birdies on the fifth and seventh holes, Kim was par for six straight holes, but Hull chased her down, and she added another stroke on the 14th (par-4) when she hit her second shot to within two feet of the hole. On the 15th (par-3), her tee shot left the green but she dropped a long par putt to stay in contention.
On the 16th (par-4), he drove a wedge. Her second shot from the rough landed near the hole for another birdie, and she added another birdie on the 17th (par-5) to seal the victory.
“It’s my first LET win and I think I’ve won on each tour, so it’s special to me, and I think I accomplished my goal, so I’m happy with the week,” Kim said afterward.
“Charlie Hull made a lot of birdies, so I think the players in my group really brought out the competitive spirit in me,” she said, adding, “When you have a lot of birdies in a group, it makes you more competitive, and I think that flow worked well, and I think Charlie Hull helped me focus more.”
After the first round, Kim said, “When I come to Korea, I feel like I’m taking a supplement.” Kim has always had a soft spot for Korea, even after she joined the LPGA, and has continued to play in tournaments in Korea, where she has 토토 six wins.
“I think I took a lot of (supplements),” he said, “and I think I’m going to celebrate today. I had a lot of misses, so I will have to finish the party in two days and start working out and practicing again.”
Kim is looking forward to competing in the Paris Olympics in July. “Before this competition, I was disappointed with my performance this season,” she said, “but I think it will be a turning point for me to finish well and feel good in Korea. I think it went well, so I’m confident that I can go into the U.S. and the Olympics with confidence and energy,” he said.
The rain proved to be a blessing in disguise for Kim, who had a poor flow the day before. “I didn’t feel good yesterday, but I think it gave me a chance to get back into the flow today,” she said, “I haven’t played 26 holes in a long time. It’s been a long time since I’ve played more than 18 holes, so I was shaky towards the end. I don’t know if it was my energy or my sugar, I don’t usually snack, but I wanted to keep my energy up until the end, so I took a lot of water and snacks. I think the stoppage yesterday was a good opportunity for me, and I was able to keep it up today, so I think my stamina was good.”
He plans to stay in Korea for the time being. After training in Korea, she will take a break before competing in the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on May 31.
Unusually for this tournament, many galleries followed her around and showed her great support. “(The phrases that stuck with me) were ‘I support your future’, ‘I’m with you’, and so many others. I’m grateful for all of them,” she said.