Choi Hye-jin fell short in her quest for her first victory on the LPGA Tour at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, where she led for three days but ultimately lost to China's Yin Ruoning by one stroke.
In the final round held on October 18 at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, Choi recorded three birdies and two bogeys for a score of 1-under 71.
With a total score of 10-under 278, Choi finished in second place, one stroke behind Yin, who shot 4-under 68 to claim the title with an 11-under 277.
Choi started the final round with a one-stroke lead over second-place Yang Hee-young and a two-stroke advantage over Yin. She began strongly with a birdie on the fourth hole (par 3) but made consecutive bogeys on the seventh hole (par 4) and eighth hole (par 5). On the eighth hole, her third shot landed in the front penalty area. Meanwhile, Yin made a birdie on the tenth hole (par 4) to tie the score. Both players made birdies on the twelfth hole (par 3) and continued to share the lead until the fifteenth hole.
Choi lost her share of the lead on the sixteenth hole (par 4) when she made par while Yin made a birdie after hitting her second shot close to the hole. On the seventeenth hole (par 3), Choi allowed another birdie to Yin, widening the gap to two strokes.
Choi managed to secure a birdie on the final eighteenth hole (par 5), but Yin made par on the same hole, sealing her victory by one stroke.
Choi, who has 12 wins on the KLPGA Tour, made her LPGA Tour debut in 2022. Despite participating in 124 tournaments, she has yet to secure a win.
This was her fifth runner-up finish since joining the LPGA Tour, following second-place finishes at the 2022 CP Women's Open, the 2025 Meyer Classic, the Meijer Championship, and the Dow Championship in June.
Yin claimed her second victory of the season and her seventh overall on the LPGA Tour, marking her first win since the FM Championship in August. The victory comes two years after her last win in this tournament, with a prize of $480,000.
Yang Hee-young finished in third place with a total score of 8-under 280, thanks to an eagle on the eighteenth hole (par 5).
Kim A-rim and Joo Su-bin finished tied for sixth and eighth places, respectively, with scores of 5-under 283 and 3-under 285.
Rookie of the Year contender Hwang Yu-min finished tied for sixteenth with an even-par score of 288, while Kim Se-young, Ahn Na-rin, and Lim Jin-hee all ended the tournament tied for eighteenth at 1-over 289.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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