'Nine runner-up finishes, finally the first championship': Choi Ye-rim overcomes 'fierce chase' by Im Hee-jeong to claim emotional debut victory [OK Savings Bank Open On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

After nine runner-up finishes and waiting until her 239th tournament for a first title, Choi Ye-rim (27, Hyumons) ultimately smiled despite the nail-biting chase that lasted until the final moments.

On the 6th at Adonis Country Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72), Choi Ye-rim recorded three birdies and two bogeys during the final third round of the KLPGA Tour OK Savings Bank Eutman Open (total prize money: 1 billion won), finishing with a 1-under-par 71.

With a total score of 10-under-par 206, Choi Ye-rim secured the championship by one stroke over Im Hee-jeong (Doosan Construction We've), who shot 9-under-par 207 on the day without any bogeys and reduced her score by six strokes.

Since joining the KLPGA Tour in 2018, Choi Ye-rim has recorded nine runner-up finishes. She had been plagued by bad luck in winning tournaments. Even this season, she settled for second place at the June Macall·Mona Yongpyong Open.

Starting the first day with a two-under-par 70 to tie for seventh place, Choi Ye-rim shot six under par on the second round to take a three-stroke lead and enter the final round alone in first place.

Choi Ye-rim birdied the first hole (par 4) and added more birdies at the fifth (par 5) and ninth holes (par 5), creating an early expectation of victory with a six-stroke lead over the second-place contenders.

However, Im Hee-jeong launched a fierce comeback. Reducing her score by three strokes in the front nine alone, Im Hee-jeong gained one stroke with a perfect iron shot on the 12th hole (par 3), another with an 8.2-meter long putt on the 14th hole (par 4), and yet another through steady play on the 15th hole (par 5).

Perhaps feeling the pressure from Im Hee-jeong's aggressive chase, Choi Ye-rim's back nine differed significantly from her front nine. After recording par on four consecutive holes, she lost a stroke when her tee shot on the 15th hole (par 4) found the rough and failed to reach the green in two shots. On the 16th hole (par 4), her tee shot again landed in the rough, and her second shot missed the green entirely, resulting in another bogey.

While Im Hee-jeong finished her round at 9-under-par 207, Choi Ye-rim recorded par on the 17th hole (par 3) after failing to reach the green in one shot.

Still facing a tense one-stroke lead, Choi Ye-rim teed off on the 18th hole (par 4), sending her ball toward the right-side rough off the fairway. Although her difficult second shot went past the hole, it appeared manageable for par. Her birdie putt fell slightly short, but she did not miss the par putt, completing an emotional victory ceremony.

Meanwhile, Im Hee-jeong, who has five career victories, fell into a deep slump following a traffic accident and its aftermath after winning the 2022 Korean Women's Open in June. Since then, she had only finished as runner-up twice and failed to reach the top 10 in any of her 11 tournaments this season. However, her dazzling performance in this tournament against Choi Ye-rim, which kept her on edge, signaled a comeback while earning her 110 million won in prize money.

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*This content was translated by AI.