Yoo Hae-ran shot an 8-under 64 with nine birdies and one bogey in the final round of the FM Championship (total prize money of $3.8 million) held at TPC Boston (par 72, 6,598 yards) in Norton, Massachusetts on the 2nd (Korea time). Yoo Hae-ran, who tied for the lead with Ko Jin-young with a final total of 15-under 273, won the title through overtime. Yoo Hae-ran, who reported her first LPGA Tour victory at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in October last year, reported her second championship in about 11 months.
Until the third round, Ko Jin-young was close to winning. Ko Jin-young, who started the final round with a lead of two strokes ahead of second place, seemed to secure the championship by reducing four strokes in an instant as she made another eagle in the fourth hole (par 4) following the first eagle in the second hole (par 5).
AFP Yonhap News
AFP Yonhap News
However, Yoo Hae-ran came up frighteningly. Following four consecutive birdies from holes 1 to 4, he added birdies in holes 6 (par 4) and 8 (par 3) to chase Ko Jin-young by reducing eight hits in the first half alone. While Ko Jin-young failed to find a tee shot on the 10th hole (par 4), Yoo Hae-ran tied for the lead with Ko Jin-young as she recorded a birdie. Yoo Hae-ran also added a birdie in the 12th hole (par 5), but Ko Jin-young's balance continued with a birdie in the 14th hole (par 4). Since then, the game has been suspended for about two hours due to rain, and the two players have been unable to reduce the number of pars anymore and have entered overtime.
In the overtime at the 18th hole (par 5), Yoo Hae-ran targeted the green with his third shot, while Ko Jin-young's shot went over the green. Ko Jin-young, who got on the green with her fourth shot, ended up with a bogey as the par putt flowed down, and Yoo Hae-ran calmly finished with two putts to decide the match.
Yoo Hae-ran said after winning the championship, `We had many chances this year, but it was very difficult to win the second championship because we missed it. I didn't want to miss it today. "I'm really happy because it was as hard to win for the second time as the first time." I hope I can win again."
APYonhap News
AFP Yonhap News
The `Korean sensation' on the LPGA Tour, which has been rare for a while, is showing signs of resuming. While Yang Hee-young won the Women's PGA Championship in June, Yoo Hae-ran continued his genealogy as he stood at the top.
With this victory, Yoo Hae-ran ranked fourth in the CME Globe rankings (2,029.392 points), which converts the season's performance into points, and this year's player points (92) and prize money ($2,181,809) ranked fifth respectively, the highest among Korean players. Nelly Korda is currently ranked first in all three categories.
It was a day for Ko Jin-young to be deeply disappointed. It was the first competition in a year and three months since the Cognizant Founders Cup in May last year. However, he was unable to shake off Yoo Hae-ran's pursuit and was forced to be satisfied with his second runner-up finish of the season.
