Youmin Hwang became the latest to arrive this Saturday. Another Korean added to the LPGA Tour flock. She landed at the LOTTE Championship this week at 22 years old with an invitation. She leaves Hawaii with everyone’s recognition and the trophy in hand. It was her sixth tournament on the American circuit. They make their mark quickly.
Moreover, it wasn’t an easy victory. Quite the opposite. Nine players were separated by a single stroke, some with an impressive track record in the LPGA. In fact, she was one of the few who hadn’t yet won on this circuit (she already has two victories in South Korea). However, a movie-like final round catapulted her to victory. Her sequence was devastating. Five birdies in the last six holes, four of them consecutively between the 15th and 18th. Each birdie was another chime towards victory. Straight to the flower necklace and the hula dance.
The key to Hwang’s triumph was her putter. She flew on the greens. She wasn’t particularly consistent from tee to green, but she only needed 23 putts to complete her round. With that, she became the player with the most birdies in the tournament. She has a few hours to decide if she wants to join the LPGA Tour now or wait until next year. It’s in her hands. At the end, she wasn’t sure. “I might decide to wait until 2026, but I need to discuss it with my team,” she said.
Hwang won with a total of -17 and a final round of 67 strokes. It was a magnificent reaction after the 75 she shot on Friday, which complicated things for her. She also left her mark this week with a round of 62 strokes on the second day, equalling the record at the Hoakalei Country Club in Hawaii.
In second place, one stroke behind Hwang, finished one of her idols: Hyo Joo Kim (-16). Japanese player Minami Katsu (-15) completed the podium. In fourth place, several players tied, including Nelly Korda and Akie Iwai, the golfer who started as the sole leader on the last day with a one-stroke advantage over eight players. Two early bogeys from the Japanese player opened the doors wide for everyone.
Meanwhile, Azahara Muñoz (-5) didn’t have the best final round of the tournament in Hawaii. She turned in a scorecard of 73 strokes, one over par, and lost some positions to finish 35th. She signed three birdies and four bogeys. Her putter went completely cold. She went from putting on a show in the third round to barely sinking any, just skimming the edge. This result makes her lose a position in the Race to CME Globe. She is now in 105th place. Unless she gets a last-minute opportunity to enter one of the Asian tour events starting now, which is difficult, she has one last tournament to finish the season, the Annika in Florida. There, she will need a very good performance if she wants to finish the year among the top 100 and secure full rights for next year.
