South Korean LPGA golfer Hyo Joo Kim wins LET event in her home country

LPGA star Hyo Joo Kim has won Aramco Team Series Korea, a Ladies European Tour event hosted in her home country of South Korea. The golfer won the individual portion of the tournament by three strokes after shooting 10 under par over the weekend.

This is Kim's first win on the European Tour, something she was important (via Straits Times):

"I’m very thrilled. I haven’t won on the LET before so keeping this in mind, I was able to get this trophy so it makes this win all the more special."

Kim is a former Major champion, winning the 2014 Evian Championship. She went into the final round with a small two-stroke lead over Mariajo Uribe and was ahead of World No. 8 Charley Hull.

Hull eventually closed the gap on the leader to just one stroke on the front nine. She was in excellent form during those holes, landing five birdies with just a single bogey.

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Hyo Joo Kim says added pressure brought out the best in her

Holding a lead can be difficult in golf, as the pressure is on to keep everyone at a distance and every single missed shot is a chance for someone to make up ground.

Hyo Joo Kim played well in the face of stiff competition

However, Hyo Joo Kim didn't baulk at the pressure Hull was putting on her (via the aforementioned source):

"Charley did hit a lot of birdies, that’s why the competitiveness in me boiled up and brought out the best in me."

Ultimately, she shot four under par in the final round to earn that three-stroke win. Hull, despite her best efforts, had to settle for second place this time in South Korea.

Kim said that this event was good for her confidence and could be a turning point. Ahead of the Olympics, she's happy she could get a win and play well:

"Before today’s win, my own performance was not satisfactory to my own standards but this win serves as a turning point for me. So this is a good start for me and it gives me more confidence going back to the United States and the Olympics."

Kim's heroics did not translate to the team portion of the event, as Danielle Kang's team took that trophy. Kang said:

"I’m very happy to have met a great team," she admitted. "I’ve learnt a lot through the tournament and although I didn’t make the cut in the individual event, I feel very happy because winning the team trophy was the one thing I wished for."

Hyo Joo Kim has had mixed outings on the LPGA Tour in 2024. She finished in a tie for fifth at the Honda LPGA Thailand and tied for eighth at the Ford Championship. She also missed the cut once and has finished T47 or worse in three recent outings.