Se-young Kim Scores 8-Under Par in Final Round at Walmart Arkansas Championship
Jin-hee Lim and Ji-eun Shin Tied for 12th, Ye-ran Yoo Misses Cut
Suwannapura Wins Third Title in Playoff, Lucy Li Finishes 2nd
Korean players failed to achieve a combined 3 wins.
Kim Sei-young is teeing off on the 3rd hole of the final 3rd round at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. [Rogers, USA=AFP·Yonhap News]
On the 29th (local time), Kim Se-young shot an 8-under 63 in the final third round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (total prize money $3 million) held at Pinnacle Country Club (par 71, 6,438 yards) in Rogers, Arkansas, USA, but settled for 3rd place (16-under 197). This marks her third top 3 finish following a tie for 3rd at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February and the T-Mobile Match Play in April.
Starting tied for 7th, 3 strokes behind, Kim Se-young collected 1 eagle and 6 birdies. After reducing 2 strokes with birdies on holes 2 and 5 in the front nine, she showed strong finishing power with a birdie on the 12th hole (par 4) followed by three consecutive birdies from holes 14 to 16. She eagled the final 18th hole (par 5) with a '2-on 1-putt' but fell short by one stroke and missed the playoff. Her precise shots, hitting the fairway three times and missing the green only twice, powered her performance.
Korea’s ‘rookie’ Lim Jin-hee finished the tournament tied for 12th (11-under 202) alongside Shin Ji-eun, both shooting 6 under par. This year’s major winner of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Yang Hee-young, along with Kim Ah-rim and Lee Mi-hyang, finished tied for 44th (6-under 207). Defending champion and this year’s FM Championship winner Yoo Hae-ran missed the cut.
Jasmine Suwannapura is teeing off at the 3rd hole of the final 3rd round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. [Rogers, USA=AFP·Yonhap News]
Jasmine Suwannapura (Thailand) fired a 10-under 61 to tie with Chinese-American Lucy Li at 17-under 196, then secured the victory with a winning birdie on the second hole of the resumed playoff at the 18th hole. This is her third career win, her first in 5 years and 2 months since the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in July 2019, with a winner’s prize of $450,000 (approximately 600 million KRW).
Lucy Li recorded 3 eagles, 7 birdies, and 2 bogeys for an 11-under 60, setting a new course record. Her 3 eagles in one round is a rare feat, the first since Laura Diaz (USA) in August 2008, 16 years ago. Rookie points leader Saigo Mao (Japan) and Arpichaya Yubol (Thailand) performed well, finishing tied for 4th (14-under 199). Ashley Bouchard (South Africa), who led the previous day, dropped to 6th (13-under 200) after shooting 2 under par.
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