‘Rookie’s Rebellion’ Grace Kim… Korean-American, Surprisingly Wins LPGA Tour in 3rd Tournament
‘Australian compatriot’ Grace Kim (23, photo) reached the top for the first time in her career at the Lotte Championship (total prize money of 2 million dollars) on the LPGA Tour. It announced the birth of a new Korean golf star following Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Daniel Kang (USA), and Lee Min-ji (Australia).
In the final round of the tournament held on the 16th (Korean time) at Hoakalay CC (par 72, 6303 yards) in Eva Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA, Grace Kim tied 6 birdies and 2 bogeys and hit a final total of 12 under par 276 strokes. He won the championship with a birdie in overtime against Sung Yu-jin (23) and Liu Yu (China).
Grace Kim, along with Sung Yu-jin, continued the match as a tie for second place, one stroke behind Liu Yu. With a birdie on the last 18th hole (par 5), he took the game into an extension and caught the birdie alone by putting his third shot close to the pin in the extension at the same hole.
Grace Kim, who debuted on the regular tour this year after playing on the Epson Tour in the second part of the LPGA Tour, lifted the championship cup only in her third appearance. He is a compatriot of Korean parents, and he also has a Korean name of ‘Kim Si-eun’. He was good from a young age. He has won four Carrie Webb Scholarships for promising Australian golfers. He won the Australian Junior Championships, Australia’s largest junior golf event, for two consecutive years, and also won a gold medal in the women’s golf individual event at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics. 먹튀검증
The driver who sends ‘far, straight’ is a strength. In the first round, he recorded an average distance of 296 yards and a 100% fairway landing rate. Even though he is a rookie, it is evaluated that his mentality is also strong, such as not being discouraged in the final round champion group.
Grace Kim said, “I know this is the beginning,” and “This win also has Kari Webb’s credit for helping me a lot since my amateur days.”
Seong Yu-jin, who participated as an invited player in this tournament, had to be satisfied with the runner-up. It was regrettable that the third shot of overtime was missed. Seong Yu-jin, who is in her 5th year on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour, won the first championship of her life at the Lotte Women’s Open last year and earned the right to participate in this tournament. He aimed to win the ‘invited player’ 10 years after Lydia Ko’s 2013 Canadian Women’s Open championship, but he was disappointed.