Kim Sei-young 'proud' of winning LPGA's top player award

▲ In this Getty Images photo, Kim Sei-young of South Korea poses with the LPGA Player of the Year trophy following the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, on Dec. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)

▲ In this Getty Images photo, Kim Sei-young of South Korea watches her shot on the third hole during the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, on Dec. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)

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Kim Sei-young 'proud' of winning LPGA's top player award

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- Though she didn't win the final LPGA tournament of the year as she'd hoped, Kim Sei-young was still happy to walk away with a major individual honor.

By finishing runner-up to fellow Korean Ko Jin-young at the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida on Sunday (local time), Kim clinched the Player of the Year award. Kim collected 118 points to beat Park In-bee, another Korean star, by six points. Players earn points based on top-10 finishes, and points are doubled at major tournaments.

"It feels great. I'm very proud of it," Kim said after shooting an even 72 to finish at 13-under 275 at Tiburon Golf Club, five strokes behind Ko.

"Paul (Fusco) and I have been working hard this year," she said, referring to her caddy. "I'm very thankful to people around me, my parents, my coach and my trainer."

Kim held a one-shot lead over Ko entering the final round, but she traded three birdies with three bogeys. Kim had just four bogeys combined over her first three rounds. Ko had seven birdies in the final round.

"I'm a little disappointed I couldn't play well today," Kim said. "(Ko) did a great job today. I tried to chase her but I couldn't."

Kim won twice in 2020, including her first career major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in October. She finished second on the money list, behind Ko, with a little over US$1.4 million. The 27-year-old has 12 LPGA titles in what's shaping up to be a Hall of Fame career.

"I learned a lot (this year) because I know how to control pressure," Kim said. "I still need to learn more. I'm still hungry for wins. I'll keep working hard."

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