Yoo Heran Claims Perfect Victory by Five Strokes... "Wire-to-Wire"

8-Under in Black Desert Championship Final Round
Third Career Victory Since Last September's FM Championship
Lin Ruoning and Henseleit Share Second Place, Takeda Finishes Fifth

Yoo Heran maintained her lead for four consecutive days and secured a wire-to-wire victory.

On May 4 (local time), at the Black Desert Resort Golf Course (par 72, 6,629 yards) in Ivins, Utah, Yoo Heran shot an 8-under-par 64 in the fourth round of the LPGA Tour Black Desert Championship (total prize money: $3 million), clinching a dominant victory by five strokes with a total of 26-under-par 262.

Yoo Heran is teeing off at the 3rd hole of the 4th round of the Black Desert Championship. Ivins, USA - AFP Yonhap News Agency Photo by Ivins

This marks her third career LPGA win, coming eight months after her first victory at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in October 2023 and her second at the FM Championship in September last year. She received $450,000 (approximately 630 million KRW) in prize money. This is the third win of the year for Korean players, following Kim A Lim and Kim Hyo Joo.

Yoo Heran started the final round with a two-shot lead and collected one eagle and six birdies. She gained momentum with a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4) and consecutive birdies on the 6th and 7th holes. Further distancing herself from her competitors, she added a birdie on the 11th hole (par 4), an eagle on the 13th hole (par 5), and a birdie on the 15th hole (par 4). She celebrated her victory with a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5).

Her average driving distance was 280 yards, and she achieved a 100% fairway hit rate. She recorded 27 putts in the round. Yoo Heran redeemed herself after leading through the third round at last week's season's first major, the Chevron Championship, but losing four strokes on the final day and finishing tied for sixth.

Lin Ruoning (China) reduced her score by five strokes and tied for second place at 21-under-par 267 with Esther Henseleit (Germany). Takeda Rio (Japan) finished fifth at 18-under-par 270. Among Korean players, Choi Hye Jin, Lee So Mi, Lee Mi Hyang, and Jeon Ji Won tied for 12th at 13-under-par 275, while Kim Hyo Joo, Lim Jin Hee, and An Na Rin finished tied for 20th at 12-under-par 276.