Kim Hyo-joo wins SK Networks Seokyung Ladies Classic

Kim Hyo-joo celebrates winning the SK Networks Seokyung Ladies Classic Trophy at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju, on Sunday. [KLPGA]

LPGA golfer Kim Hyo-joo won the SK Networks Seokyung Ladies Classic trophy on Sunday as an invited player on the KLPGA Tour at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju.

Kim spends most of her time overseas as a golfer on the LPGA Tour but has returned to Korea three times this season, twice to take the KLPGA Tour. This week’s win marks her second KLPGA title of the season, both as an invited player.

That September Kim played Park In-bee and Chun In-gee with his LPGA golfers in the KLPGA Major, the KB Financial Group Star Championship, and finished sixth. She stayed another week to attend the Se Ri Pak Invitational, where she made a big comeback on Sunday’s third and final round to win the title.

This time Kim flew to Busan last week to take part in the BMW Championship, a joint tournament of KLPGA and LPGA Tours, where she finished 30th and then stayed another week to play the SK Networks Classic in Jeju.

Kim got off to a slow start on Thursday, failing to birdie in the first nine and birdie twice and bogeying once in the second nine. On Friday, Kim began her second round birding the par-4 first, then followed with five more birdies and two bogies.

At the end of the moving day, Kim finished first after carding five birdies and no bogies. Five players were tied in first place up to the penultimate par 3 at 17th place when Kim’s tee landed five meters from the hole and resulted in a birdie that gave her a solo lead.

Kim Hyo-joo plays her iron on the third hole on moving day of the SK Networks Seokyung Ladies Classic of the KLPGA Tour at the Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju on Saturday. [KLPGA]

Kim carried this shape into the final round when she made the first hole again with Birdy, then added five more birdies and two bogies that carded four under par for a total of 14 under par, 274. Their iron strokes were particularly on point. Land the ball next to the pin on the green on Par 3 Fifth and Par 4 13 for Tap-In Birdies.

But the runner-up Lee So-young was just behind towards the end, playing in exceptional form, screwing nine holes and bogeying once to map 8 under par on the last day to a total of 13 under par, 275.

In addition to two KLPGA trophies this season, Kim also won an LPGA title at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in April.

“I’m very happy to have won in Korea,” said Kim after the tournament. “I wasn’t too happy with last week’s one [BMW Championship] Results. I practiced a lot on the pitch and had the feeling that I would play well this week. ”

“I’m more focused on my target score than on winning,” Kim said when asked how she recovered from a bogey on par 4 and came back with a birdie on par 4 on the next .

Kim Hyo-joo tees off on the fourth hole of the SK Networks Seokyung Ladies Classic on Sunday at the KLPGA Tour at the Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju. [KLPGA]

“I wasn’t nervous, even if I missed, because I was just thinking about the goal I had set for myself. I think that’s why I was able to recover. Even on the last hole, I don’t think I could have played my second shot with so much confidence if I had focused on winning. ”

“What I love most is golf, so I enjoy playing through all the ups and downs.”

BY YUN SO-HYANG [[email protected]]