Grace Kim of Australia birdied the primary playoff gap on Saturday to win the Lotte Championship in a three-way sudden loss of life in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
Kim outlasted Yu Liu (par) and third-round chief Yu Jin Sung (bogey) on the par-5 18th gap, the primary playoff gap, to assert her first victory on the LPGA Tour. She earned $300,000 with the win.
Liu of China shot a blistering 8-under-par 64 within the fourth and closing spherical to barge into the playoff. Kim fired a final-round 4-under 68 and Sung of South Korea shot 69. The trio completed at 12-under 276 after 72 holes.
Peiyun Chien (final-round 67) and Linnea Strom (69) completed tied for fourth at 11 below. Lauren Hartlage (70), Natthakritta Vongtaveelap (70) and Georgia Hall (71) completed tied for sixth at 9 below.
Kim completed her fourth spherical with six birdies — together with 17 and 18 — towards two bogeys to safe her spot within the playoff.
But it was Liu who posted the day’s monster spherical, carding eight birdies — 4 on both 9 — with no bogey to vault to the highest of the leaderboard. She shot 72-71 in her earlier two rounds.
“Honestly I knew I was five shots back,” Liu mentioned. “I knew if I put in a really good round I may have a chance, so that was just my mentality. Honestly out there on the course I wasn’t really thinking any score-wise. Just focus on one shot at a time. Definitely paid off.”
Sung posted 4 birdies towards one bogey for her final-round 69.