Kim shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday in the final round at Whirlwind Golf Club (par 72) in Phoenix, Arizona, with six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey.
She finished at 28-under 260, beating Nelly Korda of the United States (26-under 262) by two shots. Kim earned $337,500 in prize money (about 510 million won).
Kim, who won this event last year, became a two-time defending champion at the Ford Championship. She also followed last week’s Founders Cup victory with another win, giving her back-to-back LPGA titles for the first time and her first multiwin season on tour. Her LPGA career total rose to nine wins, moving her into a tie for sixth among South Korean players in LPGA victories.
Kim became the first player to reach two wins this season, doing so in the year’s sixth LPGA event. She is also the first South Korean to post two wins in a season since Ko Jin-young in 2023, when Ko won five times.
Kim added another LPGA milestone in Phoenix. After shooting 11-under 61 in both the first and third rounds, she became the first player in tour history to record two rounds of 61 at 11-under. She also set the 54-hole scoring record at 25-under 191.
With Kim’s win following Lee Mi-hyang’s victory at last month’s Blue Bay LPGA, South Korean players have now won three straight LPGA tournaments. It is the first time since 2019 that South Koreans have won three consecutive events, when Yang Hee-young (Honda LPGA Thailand), Park Sung-hyun (HSBC Women’s World Championship) and Ko Jin-young (Founders Cup) did it from February to March.
In a broadcast interview, Kim said, “I came to Phoenix feeling good, and it feels even better to win as the defending champion.” She added, “I’ve never won two weeks in a row before, and I’m so happy I can’t even find the words.”
Other South Koreans also posted strong finishes. Jeon In-ji was fifth at 19-under 269, her first top-10 since a tie for eighth at the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open. Yoon Ina finished tied for sixth at 18-under 270, her best result since debuting on the LPGA Tour last year.
Lee So-mi and Lee Il-hee ended the tournament tied for 15th at 14-under 274.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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