Overview
- Kim closed Sunday with a 3-under 69 to finish 28-under 260 at Whirlwind in Phoenix, beating Nelly Korda by two to retain the Ford Championship title.
- She set the LPGA 54-hole scoring record at 25-under after Saturday’s third round and, with two rounds of 61, finished three shots shy of the tour’s 72-hole mark.
- A double bogey at the eighth cut her lead to one before a missed short par by Korda on nine and an 18-inch birdie by Kim on ten rebuilt the cushion as Korda posted a 67 with two eagles.
- The victory is Kim’s ninth on the LPGA and makes her the season’s first multiwinner, with the Kim–Korda duels producing back-to-back 1–2 finishes last seen in 2001.
- Kim’s surge comes as South Korean players have taken three straight LPGA events to start the year, underscoring a renewed early-season push from the contingent.