Kim Sei-young and Im Jin-hee fell just short of securing their initial LPGA Tour win at the last moment. Australian Hannah Green, who showed strong focus during the final part of the back nine, beat both players in a playoff to win the championship.
The JM Eagle LA Championship ended on the 20th (Korean time) at El Caballo Country Club (par 72) in Los Angeles, California, United States. Green achieved six birdies and two bogeys during the final round, lowering her score by four strokes. She finished with a total of 17-under par, tying with Kim Sei-young and Im Jin-hee, resulting in a playoff at the 18th hole.
As Im Jin-hee, who hit the first shot, saw her drive go far off the fairway, both Green and Kim Sei-young managed to reach the green through the fairway. Kim Sei-young, who had a longer putt, went first but missed. Green’s downhill putt found its way into the hole at the final moment. Green claimed her eighth LPGA Tour title and won a prize of $712,500 (about 1.05 billion South Korean won).
Kim Sei-young, who was in the lead after three rounds, once had a five-stroke edge over Green but struggled in the final stages, falling short of securing the win. Green put pressure on by making four straight birdies (on holes 13 to 16) in the closing stretch, and although Kim Sei-young was still ahead at that point, she eventually bogeyed the 17th hole, letting Green tie for the lead. Im Jin-hee, who had celebrated with a long eagle putt on the 16th hole, also made it to the playoff but had to deal with her disappointment.
Yoon Ina, during her second season on the LPGA Tour, secured a solo fourth position with a score of 16-under-par, representing her first top-five result since she began competing on the tour in the United States.
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