Subin Joo Falls Short in Comeback, Fails to Hold Four-Stroke Lead

Struggles with 2-over-par in ShopRite LPGA Final Round
First Win Slips Away, Ties Career-best in Fourth Place
Boutier Surges for Comeback Victory, Celebrates Seventh Career Title

Subin Joo missed her chance at her first career victory.

On May 31 (local time), at the Bay Course (par 71, 6,263 yards) of Seaview Hotel & Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey, the United States, she struggled in the final third round of the ShopRite LPGA Tour event (total prize money: 2 million dollars), shooting a 2-over-par 73. As a result, she dropped to a tie for fourth place at 6-under-par 207. She was, however, satisfied with achieving her personal best result, surpassing her tied sixth-place finish at this tournament in 2023.

Subin Joo is carefully reading the green at the 8th hole during the final third round of the ShopRite LPGA. Photo by Callaway=AFP Yonhap News

Subin Joo started the final round as the leader by four strokes, recording three birdies, three bogeys, and one double bogey. She remained in contention by trading two birdies and two bogeys through the 13th hole. The turning point came at the 14th hole (par 4), where her tee shot found the right rough, forcing a layup. She eventually reached the green in four and took two putts, resulting in a double bogey that derailed her title hopes.

Subin Joo is in her fourth year on the LPGA Tour, having debuted in 2023. She is currently ranked 252nd in the world. Last year, she finished 107th on the money list with 196,711 dollars and was unable to retain her tour card. However, by finishing second in the qualifying LPGA Final Stage, she earned the opportunity to compete again on the regular tour this year.

Celine Boutier of France charged with a 5-under-par 66 to secure a comeback victory at 9-under-par 204. This marks her seventh career win and her first since the Maybank Championship in October 2023. The winner’s prize is 300,000 dollars (approximately 450 million won). In her post-victory interview, Boutier exclaimed, "Although I hadn’t won recently, my results were not bad. I’m very happy that the things I worked on in training over the past few weeks led to this victory."

Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand finished second at 8-under-par 205, Lauren Walsh of Ireland was third at 7-under-par 206, and Chisato Iwai of Japan tied for fourth place. Among Koreans, Somi Lee also tied for fourth, Ji-Won Jeon finished eighth at 5-under-par 208, and Dong-Eun Lee tied for fourteenth at 3-under-par 210.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.