"Regrettable": Yoon In-a falls short of her first LPGA victory... Finishes 2nd at the Lotte Championship

*This content was translated by AI.

It was a bitter runner-up finish. Yoon In-a (23, Solayer) knelt in defeat due to a tee shot error on the brink of her first victory on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, swallowing deep regret.

On the 5th (Korean time), at Hoakalei Country Club (Par 72) in Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA, Yoon In-a recorded a 4-under-par 68 on the final fourth round of the LPGA Tour Lotte Championship (total prize money of 3 million dollars), combining seven birdies and three bogeys.

Recording a final total of 18-under-par 270, Yoon In-a closed the tournament in solo second place. She engaged in a tense battle for the title throughout the final round with world No. 2 Noin Tittikun (Thailand, 21-under-par 267), even surging to tie for the lead, but ultimately had to settle for her second runner-up finish of the season without closing the three-stroke gap.

Yoon In-a, who shed tears of anguish after finishing as runner-up at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship major in June, once again missed the trophy by a hair at this tournament and failed to quench her thirst for a first win. Although she overcame a slump that included missing the cut twice in five tournaments since the major and secured her fifth top-10 finish of the season, she ultimately could not connect with her first LPGA trophy.

The start of the final round was fierce. Following consecutive birdies on the 1st hole (Par 5) and 2nd hole (Par 4), Yoon In-a also caught birdies on the 4th hole (Par 3) and 5th hole (Par 5), instantly rising to tie for the lead with Tittikun. She briefly faltered with a bogey on the 8th hole (Par 4) among others, but continued her tenacious pursuit.

The turning point of the match was the 16th hole (Par 4). Tittikun's tee shot landed in the hazard, and her third shot also ended up in a bunker, resulting in a double bogey. As Yoon In-a calmly saved par, the match returned to a tie for the lead.

However, at the moment when a first victory seemed within reach, an anguishing mistake occurred. Yoon In-a's tee shot on the 17th hole (Par 4) went directly into the water hazard. Tittikun, who had been shaken on the previous hole, snatched a birdie to pull ahead by two strokes. On the subsequent 18th hole (Par 5), Yoon In-a settled for par while Tittikun added a decisive birdie, and the championship trophy returned to Tittikun's arms.

Tittikun achieved her fourth win of the season and her 11th career tour victory. Miyu Yamashita (Japan) placed third with a total of 17-under-par 271.

Among Korean players, Kim A-ram, the winner of the 2024 tournament, ranked in a tie for seventh place with a final total of 14-under-par 274. Lee Jeong-eun placed in a tie for 10th with 13-under-par 275, while Im Jin-hee and Choi Hye-jin both ranked in a tie for 13th with 12-under-par 276.

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*This content was translated by AI.