Sei Young Kim’s second best shot in the Lotte Championship

Two incredible shots won Sei Young Kim the Lotte Championship last Sunday.

Sei Young Kim Lotte Championship
Sei Young Kim by the 18th green during the third round of the Lotte Championship. Credit: Getty Images
(Image credit: Christian Petersen)

Two incredible shots won Sei Young Kim the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii last Sunday

Sei Young Kim’s second best shot in the Lotte Championship

In terms of winning a tournament in dramatic style, few can top Sei Young Kim in the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii last Sunday.

About the only we can think of would be by a hole in one.

Sei Young Kim had started the final round in the lead, but had come to the final hole on the back of the back of a par at 17 needing a birdie to win, a par to get into a play-off.

Sei Young Kim hit her tee shot into water. "I saw the ball go into the hazard and I thought, 'What have I done to deserve this fate?'" Kim said afterwards.

Her third narrowly avoided the water around the green, but she was not on the green. She was 18ft from the hole and needed to hole it to force a play-off after her playing partner, fellow Korean Inbee Park lagging a putt for par to remain 11 under.

“I just focused on getting it to the hole because that was my only chance," explained Sei Young Kim.

That is exactly what she did.

In the play-off, which was played over the 18th, she hit her tee to shot to 154 yards out.

"I was thinking I was between a 7- or 8-iron," Kim said. "And then I was choosing between a cut or a normal shot, so I chose 8 normal, and it was good choice."

It was indeed.

She holed it for an eagle.

The title and the $270,000 first prize was hers.

Remember how we said about the only way that it could bettered would be by a hole in one? Turns out Sei Young Kim has won that way, too.

Afterwards when reporters suggested that he 154-yard approach would be her best shot of her career, she replied through an interpreter: "This is probably the second most memorable shot for me. In 2013, I won a tournament, which had the biggest prize money on KLPGA, by making a hole-in-one on 17, so that was probably my most memorable shot. Sorry."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAft3R8HsIc

 

Roderick Easdale

Contributing Writer Golf courses and travel are Roderick’s particular interests and he was contributing editor for the first few years of the Golf Monthly Travel Supplement. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He also compiles the magazine's crossword. He is a member of Trevose Golf & Country Club and has played golf in around two dozen countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is the author of five books, four of which are still in print: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Beyond Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England’s Greatest Post-War All Rounder.