HONOLULU (AP) — A Lim Kim won the Lotte Championship on Saturday for her second LPGA Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a two–stroke victory over playing partner Nataliya Guseva.
A stroke ahead of Guseva entering the day at breezy Hoakalei Country Club, Kim ended a six-hole par streak with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
The 29-year-old South Korean player jumped from 65th to 22nd in the Race to CME Globe standings to secure a spot in the 60-player season finale that pays $4 million to the winner. She won the U.S. Women’s Open in December 2020.
Guseva was trying to become the first Russian winner in LPGA Tour history. The 21-year-old former Miami player parred the final five holes in a 69.
Kim finished at 18-under 270.
Auston Kim was third at 15 under after a 67. Nasa Hataoka (67) was another stroke back, and fellow Japanese player Yuri Yoshida (69) and Ryann O’Toole (70) were 13 under.
Angela Stanford closed with a 71 to tie for 26th at 5 under in what could be her final LPGA Tour event. The 46-year-old Texan has seven tour victories.
“I really didn’t get emotional until I was looking at my scorecard,” Stanford said. “I said going into today I wanted to be me, I wanted to play my game. I hit every green on the back nine. Throughout my career my iron play was what I relied on, so that kind of made me get teary-eyed.”
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