Yoo Hae-ran (22, Daol Financial Group), who entered the LPGA Tour this year, won her long-awaited first championship.
It has been 20 games since she debuted on the LPGA.
Yoo Hae-ran hit 5 under par 66 in the final round of the LPGA Tour Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (total prize money of $2.3 million) held at Pinnacle Country Club (par 71) in Rogers, Arkansas, USA on the 2nd (Korean time).
Yoo Hae-ran, who recorded a final total of 19 under par and 194 strokes in the third round, won by three strokes over second place Linia Storm (Sweden) and received a prize of $345,000 (about 467 million won). 카지노사이트랭크
Yoo Hae-ran, who has been atop the Rookie of the Year race since her debut this year, nearly cemented her ‘Rookie of the Year’ status as well, taking her first win in just her 20th appearance.
If Yoo Hae-ran wins the Rookie of the Year Award, he will be the first Korean player to do so in four years since Lee Jeong-eun (27, Daebang Construction) in 2019.
Yoo Hae-ran, who had been in the top 10 five times before this competition, swallowed his disappointment and won his first career win in this competition with a wire-to-wire (1st place from the first to the last round).
Yoo Hae-ran, who entered the final round with a two-shot lead, was shaky in the beginning.
He got off to a good start with a birdie in the 1st hole (par 4), but lost one more stroke in the 5th hole (par 4) following a bogey in the 2nd hole (par 5).
The no-bogey streak of 42 holes until the previous day was also halted.
While Yoo Hae-ran took a step back, Kim Se-young, Shin Ji-eun, Hannah Green (Australia), and Linea Strom (Sweden) came forward.
Yoo Hae-ran, who seemed to be eliminated from the championship race amidst the chaos of the lead changing every time the hole changed, changed the mood with a birdie on the 10th hole (par 4).
Yoo Hae-ran, who regained the lead with a birdie on the 12th hole (par 3), hit the best shot of the day on the 14th hole (par 5).
After hitting the second shot with a 7-iron within 1m of the hole, he calmly made an eagle putt.
Hae-ran Yoo, who immediately returned to the sole lead, successfully made a 5m birdie putt even in the 16th hole (par 4), his most difficult hole.
He made the putt that decided the championship.
He celebrated his first LPGA victory in his career by recording a birdie in the final 18th hole (par 5).
Yoo Hae-ran said in a broadcast interview after the game, “I struggled in the beginning because it was difficult to hit the iron distance,” and added, “I hope he can build on the momentum of his first win in his debut and win the Rookie of the Year award.
He expressed his feelings, saying, “I am also grateful to the fans in my home country who supported me during the Chuseok holiday.”
Yoo Hae-ran’s LPGA Tour victory was already predicted to the point where it felt too late.
She won the Rookie of the Year title on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour, and after accumulating a total of 4 wins
she passed the LPGA Qualifying Series last year as the top player, attracting attention as a player who will excel on the world stage.
Kim Se-young (30, Mirae Asset), who attempted to win her 13th LPGA career in three years since the 2020 Pelican Women’s Championship, hit 5 under par and 66 strokes to tie for third place (final total of 15 under par and 198 strokes).
It was painful for Kim Se-young to lose the momentum of her pursuit due to a 3-putt bogey on the 16th hole.
Shin Ji-eun (31, Hanwha Q CELLS) also tied for 3rd place, reducing 4 strokes.
Meanwhile, the number of wins by Korean players in this year’s LPGA Tour increased to 3, including the 2 wins of Ko Jin-young, who won the Cognizant Founders Cup last May.