MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Gina Kim and Yana Wilson teamed to win the Dow Championship on Sunday for their first LPGA Tour titles, closing with an 8-under 62 in best-ball play for a two-stroke victory over Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi.
Gina Kim and Wilson finished at 17-under 263 at Midland Country Club.
“I haven’t been in a leading position for a long time,” the 19-year-old Wilson said. “Even as a team, I feel like both of us haven’t been in this leading position. We walked down 18 just now and we were like: ‘Does this feel weird to you? Like this is so weird.’ So it’s a little nervy out there. I feel like we handled it really well.”
Gina Kim holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-4 fifth.
“I knew I hit a really good shot and I was thinking, ‘Oh, OK, maybe I’ll tap in in for birdie.’ And then it just disappeared,” she said. “I think that really set the tone for the day.”
The 26-year-old Gina Kim won in her 64th start on the LPGA Tour, while Wilson was making the ninth start of her rookie season.
“This has been the most fun week,” Gina Kim said. “It’s been tough, and it’s nice to have a really good friend to be able to do this by.”
Last year, Wilson — the 2022 USGA Girls' Junior winner — was second and Gina Kim third on the Epson Tour money list to earn LPGA cards.
“Part of the reason I asked Yana to be my partner is we actually played in the final group on Epson and we’ve played together numerous times,” Gina Kim said. “So, I knew she was really, really good under pressure and I trusted her.”
Hyo Joo Kim and Choi finished with a 65.
Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im had a 61 to tie for third at 14 under with former UCLA teammates Alison Lee and Lilia Vu (64).
Juli Inkster, who at 66 became the oldest player in LPGA history to make the cut in an official event, teamed with Angel Yin to tie for 12th at 9 under. They shot 64.
“We had an amazing time,” Inkster said. “Angel played amazing.”
Nelly Korda and Olivia Cowan tied for 17th at 8 under. They rebounded from a third-round 76 with a 66. Korda was coming off a victory in the U.S. Women's Open for her second straight major victory.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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