World No. 8 Kim Hyo-joo won the Fortinet Founders Cup in wire-to-wire fashion by a huge margin in the third round.
No problem, right? Wrong.
It was a grueling and intense performance by the Korean star player, as he survived a brave charge from world No. 2 Nelly Korda despite losing a rare five-stroke lead.
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After an early bogey, Korda birdied five holes on the front nine and tied it after just 10 holes. Kim was on the ropes and that seemed to ignite the best of her, especially her great short game. At Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, Calif., Kim nearly hit the hole with a big up-and-down on the 13th and a great shot from the rough on the 17th. He hit a 7-footer to beat Korda by one stroke.
Kim, 30, bogeyed two of the last three holes and shot a final-round 73 to win her second trophy of the tournament. This was her eighth LPGA title.
“Today was a very difficult day,” Kim said through an interpreter. “Obviously, we played well on the first day, we made some mistakes on the second day, but we played well on the third day. Today was pretty difficult. Overall it was good to get the win.”
Kim Byung-hyun set the stage for victory with a sluggish 63 in the first round, but then went 70-66-72 for a total of 16 under par and 272. She earned $450,000 from her $3 million purse.
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The wire-to-wire victory was impressive to others, but to her it wasn’t the most important thing.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily a big deal to be wire-to-wire, but at the end of the day it’s about who comes out on top on the last day, so it didn’t mean that much to me,” Kim said.
Especially since she was the last one standing. This is the second time she has won wire-to-wire on tour, the last time being at the 2023 Ascendant LPGA event.
Korda, who won the weather-shortened Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, shot a 69 in the final round. She three-putted for bogey on the second hole and three-putted on the 17th hole, missing 3 feet for par. This mistake gave Kim a two-stroke lead heading into the home hole.
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“The front nine was great, and I felt like I fought a little more on the back nine,” Korda said. “I wasn’t as productive as I was on the front nine. Obviously, I got about 17 bites, so that’s what it is. This is golf. It’s a quick turnaround. We’ve got next week, so I’m going to take all the positives.”
Kim made a great shot from the rough on the 17th. Both were in the bunker on the 18th, but Kim hit another impressive shot onto the green, two-putting for the win. She used both and withstood Korda’s push.
The electric showdown in Menlo Park, Calif., was the perfect match for the LPGA’s first event back from its trip to Asia, with two top 10 players and two major winners battling it out to the end. This day also marked the first week of the tour’s new broadcast enhancements, complete with picturesque drone shots of the final group.
Kim became the fifth player to win the first five tournaments, and did so with the second-best player in the world playing well next to him.
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“To be honest, today was not about looking at the other players and focusing on them,” Kim said. “I was focused on playing my shot that didn’t go well. I couldn’t afford to let my emotions spread to the other players.”
That focus, especially when Korda tied the score, helped her win another trophy.
