This was exactly the thrilling finish the LPGA needed in its season-opening event.
A Lim Kim drained a dramatic birdie putt on the final hole to ignite a fist-pumping, champagne popping celebration after holding off World No. 1 Nelly Korda to win the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando on Sunday. Kim won by two shots, so a birdie wasn’t necessary but it made for a spectacular finish.
Kim shot a five-under 67 and Korda a seven-under 65 to finish second. Best of the Australians was Minjee Lee, who fired a stunning 10-under final round. The two-time major winner Lee, from Perth, rattled off an eagle and eight birdies during a flawless 62. Lee finished T-4 with Jin Young Ko (65) at 14 under. Lee’s fellow Australian Hannah Green (71) was T-20 in the 32-player field.
Korda briefly pulled into a tie with Kim on the back nine, but trailed by two at the 18th hole, where she holed a birdie putt to pull within one. But Kim had an answer for everything, and also birdied the 18th.
“Not bad,” Korda said. “I’m never going to complain about finishing second in a tournament and giving it a run, especially on a Sunday. There are definitely a couple putts I would like to have back, but overall I think I’m very happy with this week and excited for next week.”
After her victory, Kim had a playful response to winning the first tournament of the year. “Honestly, so good, and I’m hungry,” she said. Kim, who won the US Women’s Open that was played in December of 2020, the Covid year, has earned a unique nickname, too: Queen Kong. But she only likes half of it.
“I wish to just be queen,” Kim, 29, said with a laugh. “I don’t like that. Just queen please.”
You can also just call her champion for the second consecutive year. She played this event by virtue of her win at the Lotte Championship. With Korda making a run up the leaderboard, Kim’s resolve and victory was that much more impressive as she earned a $US300,000 ($A489,000) cheque from a $US2 million ($A3.2 million) purse.
Asked if she was scoreboard watching when Korda made her run and pulled into a tie, Kim said: “I watch the scoreboard and (we) enjoy together who made birdie, and then focus on my game.”
Then when Korda, who was playing in the group in front of Kim, birdied the final hole, Kim was undeterred.
“I feel really good,” Kim said. “I have one more hole, so I have one more chance.”
Photo: Julio Aguilar
This put the LPGA’s focus back on engaging personalities and great golf. It all played out in front of a nationally-televised audience on NBC, which surely was a relief after a turbulent offseason that saw commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan resign and a tour event – the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship – canceled due to non-payment by an underwriter.
The focus is back on excellent golf in the competitive field of tournament winners from the last two seasons, as well as celebrities.
Korda won seven times last year, including a record-tying five consecutive, and the biggest star in the game threatened to pull off yet another win.
She came in armed with a renewed confidence and a new driver. Putting that in play and having the same success was a good omen for her for the season ahead.
“It’s super important, Korda said. “Even if you made some subtle changes to your golf swing and testing it out under pressure, it’s just so different. You can go on the range and stripe it, but it’s a different ballgame when you come out and play under pressure. Obviously playing in a tournament like this it’s a little bit more easy-going with the celebrities and former athletes, but it’s a great week to test where your game is at.”
Korda was eight shots back at one point Saturday and after 54 holes she was still four back. Korda tied Kim at 17-under with a tap-in birdie on 15. Kim, however, responded with long birdie putts on two of the last three holes (at 16 and 18) to close the door.
Asked about her clutch putts and if she’s putting better this year, Kim said: “this is the first tournament, right? Let me see.”
Korda, meanwhile, did not win, but she put pressure on Kim, showing her Rolex Player of the Year form. She, too, might have put the rest of the Tour on notice that she’s got the same mojo from last season.
She has one more event – the Founder’s Cup – before she takes an extended break while the LPGA heads to Asia for three events.
Korda hasn’t had much of an offseason, so she will get a much-needed break before the tour returns to the West Coast, at the Ford Championship in Phoenix, where Korda is the defending champion.
Former NHL player Joe Pavelski, meanwhile, won the celebrity division of the Tournament of Champions.
