Kim Hyo-joo earns 5th career LPGA win in Hawaii

▲ This Getty Images photo from April 15, 2022, shows Kim Hyo-joo of South Korea during the third round of the Lotte Championship at Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. (Yonhap)

LPGA-S Korean winner

Kim Hyo-joo earns 5th career LPGA win in Hawaii

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- Kim Hyo-joo has captured her fifth career LPGA victory in Hawaii, holding on for a two-shot victory with a solid, if unspectacular, final round.

Kim won the Lotte Championship at Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, on Saturday (local time), at 11-under 277, after carding a final round score of one-under 71. Hinako Shibuno of Japan was the runner-up after shooting a two-under 70 on Saturday.

This was Kim's first victory since May last year. She is the second South Korean to win in LPGA this year, joining world No. 1 Ko Jin-young.

Kim entered the final round with a three-stroke lead over Shibuno and Brianna Do of the United States at 10-under par. The three played in the final group together.

While Do took herself out of contention with three bogeys on the back nine, Shibuno tried to make things more interesting.

The Japanese moved to within two shots with a birdie at the fourth, but Kim regained her three-shot lead at 11-under with a birdie of her own at the fifth. Her lead grew to four with a birdie at the eighth, but a bogey at the very next hole cut that advantage to three shots at the turn.

Shibuno then got a step closer with a birdie at the 11th. Kim and Shibuno then kept putting up pars on the board through 15th, keeping the South Korean up by two with three to play, 11-under to nine-under.

Kim committed her second bogey of the round at the 17th, and her lead was now down to one going into the final hole.

But Kim came through in clutch, playing a brilliant third shot to set up a tap-in birdie at the par-five 18th hole. After Shibuno missed her birdie attempt, Ki made no mistake from close range to lock down her two-stroke win.

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