Last year’s LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Yoo Hae-ran (23), won her second career win after four days of roller coaster-like play.
Yoo Hae-ran shot 8-under 64 with 9 birdies and 1 bogey in the final 3rd round of the LPGA Tour FM Championship held at TPC Boston (par 72) in Norton, Massachusetts, USA on the 2nd. Yoo Hae-ran, who recorded a final total of 15-under 273, entered an extension with Ko Jin-young (29) tied, and won the first extension held on the 18th hole (par 5) by holding par and beating Ko Jin-young, who only had a bogey. The prize money for the winner is 570,000 dollars (approximately 760 million won).
Hae-ran Yoo, who won her first victory at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in October of last year, her debut on the LPGA Tour, and was named Rookie of the Year, has achieved her second career win in 11 months. This is the second LPGA Tour win by a Korean player this season, following Hee-young Yang (35) at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major tournament in June.
Although she became the first champion in the newly established tournament, the process was a series of ups and downs. Yoo Hae-ran, who started the tournament without a hitch by tying for second place with a 3-under par on the first day, shot a career-best 10-under 62 in the second round and took the lead by 6 strokes. Judging from her performance that day, where she had 10 birdies without a bogey, it seemed like she would easily win.
However, in the third round, Yoo Hae-ran lost six strokes and slipped to a tie for sixth place, four strokes behind the leader Ko Jin-young. She continued to fall, making five bogeys and two double bogeys while making three birdies.
The final round that day was the complete opposite. She made a sharp comeback by making 9 birdies before recording her first bogey on the 16th hole (par 3). Yoo Hae-ran, who shot 8 under par that day, tied with Ko Jin-young and eventually won after an extension.
After missing several chances to win this season, Yoo Hae-ran kissed her first trophy of the season, saying, “It was hard when I won the first one last year, and it was hard again today. I showed different sides of myself in the second to fourth rounds of this tournament, and I think that’s golf,” and added, “I tried to believe in myself, and I’m grateful to my teammates, volunteers, and family. I hope the next win will be easier.”
Meanwhile, Jin-young Ko, who challenged for the championship for the first time in 1 year and 3 months since the Cognizant Founders Cup in May last year, had to be satisfied with her second second-place finish of the season without overcoming the last hurdle. Starting with a 2-stroke lead, Jin-young Ko appeared to be cruising, catching eagles twice on the 2nd hole (par 5) and the 4th hole (par 4), but her tee shots faltered after the middle of the round and she could not reduce her strokes. After missing a 2.5m birdie putt on the last regular hole, the 18th hole, she was dragged into an extension, and ended up making a bogey on the first hole of the extension when her third shot went over the green.
Reporter Lee Heon-jae [email protected]
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2024-09-02 08:24:18