Hyojoo Kim and Hyejin Choi Finish Two Shots Back as Runners-Up: "Regretful Loss"

5-Under on Final Day of Dow Team Championship
Kim and Choi Start with Lead in Four-Ball, Finish Second
Gina Kim and Wilson Capture First Win, Im and Lee Take Third

Hyojoo Kim and Hyejin Choi finished as runners-up in a close contest.

On June 14 (local time), the two golfers recorded five birdies in the final round of the LPGA Tour Dow Championship (total prize money: $3.3 million) held at Midland Country Club (par 70) in Midland, Michigan, United States. Kim and Choi carded a 5-under-par 65 for the day, finishing in second place at 15-under-par 265, two strokes behind the leaders. Hyojoo Kim missed out on her third win of the season, while Hyejin Choi was unable to secure her first career LPGA Tour victory since debuting in 2022.

Hyejin Choi (left) and Hyoju Kim smile on the green of the 2nd hole during the 4th round of the Dow Championship. Midland = AFP Yonhap News

This tournament, which began in 2019, is the only team competition on the LPGA Tour. Teams of two compete together. The first and third rounds are played as foursomes, where two players alternate shots with one ball. The second and fourth rounds use the four-ball format, where each player plays their own ball and the better score counts for the team.

Kim and Choi started the final round with a one-stroke lead and made their first birdie on the 2nd hole (par 4). They continued to challenge for the title by making consecutive birdies on the 7th and 8th holes, but could not overcome the momentum of Yana Wilson and Gina Kim of the United States. Kim and Choi added two more birdies on the 12th hole (par 4) and the final 18th hole (par 3) on the back nine.

Wilson and Gina Kim surged with an 8-under-par 62 to claim victory at 17-under-par 263. Both players earned their first LPGA Tour win. The team winner's prize is $805,381 (about 1.2 billion won). Gina Kim is a Korean American of second-generation descent, with parents of Korean heritage.

Defending champions Jinhee Im and Somi Lee tied for third at 14-under-par 266 alongside Allison Lee and Lilia Vu of the United States. Arim Kim and Yoon Ina also performed well, finishing tied for seventh at 11-under-par 269. World No. 1 Nelly Korda (United States) teamed up with Olivia Cowan (Germany) to finish tied for 17th at 8-under-par 272.

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