A Regrettable 18th Hole: Yoo Hae-ran's Bunker Shot Mistake Cost Her the Title... Choi Hye-jin's "Fatal Putt" Leads to Back-to-Back Runner-Up Finishes [LPGA BMW Championship]

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Yoo Hae-ran (25, Daol Financial Group) and Choi Hye-jin (27, Lotte) narrowly missed the title at the BMW Ladies Championship (total prize money of 2.35 million dollars), an LPGA Tour event held in Korea.

In the final fourth round of the tournament held on the 24th at Pine Beach Golf Links (Par 72) in Haenam County, South Gwangju, Yoo Hae-ran recorded five birdies and one bogey for a score of one over par, 73.

Yoo Hae-ran, who finished with a total of 16 under par, 272 strokes, sought her fifth career LPGA Tour victory but left the most regrettable result on the final day, finishing in a tie for second place, one stroke behind Yoshida Yuki (17 under par, 271 strokes).

Yoo Hae-ran, who accumulated one LPGA Tour win each year from 2023 to 2025, achieved consecutive major championship victories by winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June and the Evian Championship in July.

Earlier this month, she also claimed the top spot at the Hite Jinro Championship, a KLPGA Tour major event, and secured an opportunity to carry that momentum into the BMW Ladies Championship held domestically.

No one doubted Yoo Hae-ran's victory through the third round. She entered the final day in the lead by four strokes over second-place Park Min-ji (NH Investment & Securities), Choi Hye-jin, and Yoshida.

Yoo Hae-ran maintained stable play by holding par for 15 consecutive holes from the start, but she faced a fierce chase from Yoshida. Yoshida secured an eagle starting from the second hole (Par 5) and caught three consecutive birdies from the fifth hole.

After Yoo Hae-ran made a bogey on the 16th hole (Par 4) while in the lead, Yoshida grabbed a birdie on the 17th hole (Par 5), widening the gap to two strokes. However, Yoo Hae-ran kept the contest alive until the end with a bunker shot. It was a difficult shot, but she created backspin with a fantastic shot and secured a birdie.

In a situation where victory could have been clinched, Yoshida made three putts and bowed her head in disappointment. Losing one stroke, she tied with Yoo Hae-ran. In a scenario where a birdie would mean victory and even a par would lead to a playoff, the tee shot headed toward the rough on the left side of the fairway, and a difficult trouble shot played from a steep downhill slope went into the bunker. Ultimately, she missed even par, leaving behind regret.

Choi Hye-jin's situation was similar. After making a bogey on the third hole (Par 3), Choi Hye-jin added birdies on the sixth hole (Par 5) and the eighth hole (Par 3). She also reduced her stroke count on the 11th hole (Par 4) and the 13th hole (Par 3).

With Yoshida making a bogey and Yoo Hae-ran making a mistake, Choi Hye-jin secured a birdie opportunity on the 18th hole. Had she made the putt, she could have headed to a playoff against Yoshida, but the ball circled the hole and came out, causing her to sit down in disappointment.

Choi Hye-jin, who finished as runner-up at the LPGA Tour Buick Shanghai event on the 18th, once again postponed her victory since her LPGA Tour debut in 2022 until the next opportunity.

KLPGA Tour monster rookie Kim Min-sol (Doosan Construction Weave) cut five strokes on the final day to finish with a score of 15 under par, 273 strokes, tying for fourth place with Kim Hyo-ju (Lotte), who has two LPGA Tour wins this season. Kim Min-sun 7 (Daewang Construction) finished the tournament in 10th place with a score of 13 under par, 275 strokes.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original