Grace Kim of Australia birdied the first playoff hole on Saturday, April 15, to win the Lotte Championship in a three-way sudden death in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
Kim outlasted Yu Liu (par) and third-round leader Yu Jin Sung (bogey) on the par-5 18th hole, the first playoff hole, to claim her first victory on the LPGA Tour. She earned $300,000 with the win.
“Just kind of speechless right now,” Kim said.
Liu of China shot a blistering 8–under-par 64 in the fourth and final round to barge into the playoff. Kim fired a final-round 4–under 68 and Sung of South Korea shot 69. The trio finished at 12–under 276 after 72 holes.
Peiyun Chien (final-round 67) and Linnea Strom (69) finished tied for fourth at 11 under. Lauren Hartlage (70), Natthakritta Vongtaveelap (70) and Georgia Hall (71) finished tied for sixth at 9 under.
Kim finished her fourth round with six birdies—including 17 and 18—against two bogeys to secure her spot in the playoff.
“I think just the birdie on 17 was definitely the big momentum changer,” Kim said. “Yeah, I will let you know that my second shot on that playoff hole, that wasn’t intentional. I kind of got lucky there.”
Kim hit her second shot over the water to the right of the green on the playoff hole, while Liu and Sung both had missed the green to the left.
“So, yeah, I guess it was a good day after all,” Kim said.
But it was Liu who posted the day’s monster round early on, carding eight birdies—four on either nine—without a bogey to vault to the top of the leaderboard. She shot 72–71 in her previous two rounds.
“Honestly I knew I was five shots back,” Liu said. “I knew if I put in a really good round I may have a chance, so that was just my mentality. Honestly out there on the course I wasn’t really thinking any score-wise. Just focus on one shot at a time. Definitely paid off.”
Sung posted four birdies against one bogey for her final-round 69.
