Nearly four years and 99 starts since A Lim Kim’s maiden LPGA title in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, the South Korean broke through in the Lotte Championship for her second career LPGA victory. Going nearly wire-to-wire Kim closed with a four-under 68, including a birdie at the par-5 18th, and held on for a two-stroke win at 18 under. She beat Russian rookie Nataliya Guseva by two shots and American rookie Auston Kim by three. Here is how Kim won at Hoakalei Country Club on Oahu.

Leaderboard

Win: A Lim Kim (-18)

2: Nataliya Guseva (-16)

3: Auston Kim (-15)

4: Nasa Hataoka (-14)

T-5: Ryann O’Toole (-13)

T-5: Yuri Yoshida (-13)

What it means

Kim’s win ensures the South Korean’s spot in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, jumping her from No. 65 to No. 22. The 29-year-old had a muted 2024, posting three top-10s, and was in danger of missing the CME for the first time in her career.

In her post-round interview with Golf Channel, Kim described the challenges of learning golf in the U.S. since her major triumph in 2020. The golf course grasses were different than her homeland, and though possessing an outgoing personality, Kim struggled to adjust to new culture in America. Kim, whose nickname is “Queen,” emphasized her comfort now after four years in the States.

The $450,000 winner’s check pushes Kim to her first official $1 million season, in her four-year career, as Kim’s $1 million winner’s check from Champions Golf Club in 2020 didn’t count towards her official career money.

How it happened

A Lim Kim could not get separation almost all week. She led by a stroke after the first round, was in a four-way tie for the lead through 36 and held a one-shot advantage going into Saturday over the 21-year-old Guseva. Kim’s lead was even tighter as she made the turn, holding onto a one-stroke advantage over four players—Nasa Hataoka, Auston Kim, Ryann O’Toole and Gueseva.

But the final-nine scoring slowed for all the chasers except Guseva, who finished runner-up in the Portland Classic in August. Auston Kim’s putter cooled, and she posted 10 straight pars before a birdie on the last earned a career-best third-place finish. Hataoka bogeyed the final two holes, and O’Toole, chasing a second career title, played the final side in even par.

With birdies on 11 and 13, Guseva was a stroke behind A Lim Kim with two holes to play. Kim missed a 30-foot birdie try at 17, while Guseva made an impressive par save by draining a 12-footer to stay down one.

Nataliya Guseva reacts after making a putt on the 14th green.

Maddie Meyer

Both had irons in hand for their second shots into the par-5’s green, but the Russian’s approach left her an awkward 65-yard chip for her third. Kim’s wind-aided 335-yard drive left her 204 yards into the hole. She immediately club twirled as her second ended up on the fringe, pin-high.

Guseva’s third went into the rough, and her last-gasp chip-in attempt skimmed just past the cup. Kim needed to get down in three to win, two-putting for birdie and bowed to the crowd before starting her celebration.

CME Points bubble watch

The Lotte is the penultimate event before the CME field is finalized, with the top 60 players in points eligible for the finale. O’Toole, who lost to Nelly Korda in a playoff in the SeRi Pak Championship in March, jumped up 11 spots with her T-5 to 55th. Hyo Joo Kim’s T-9 bumped her from first outside the bubble at No. 61 to No. 58, letting the six-time winner defend a spot in the CME in next week’s The Annika.

With three players moving into the CME field, three players were bumped out. Hinako Shibuno’s missed cut pushed her from No. 58 to No. 62. Gaby Lopez, with a T-20, dropped from No. 60 to No. 61. Carlota Ciganda, who did not play this week, slid from No. 59 to outside of the top 60.

Quotable

“Everything is getting better on my shot, short game, and the green [reading], and then more familiar,” Kim said. “Next year I think getting better than this year, so hopefully.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com