Kim A-lim secures third LPGA title with dominant display at season opener

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Kim A-lim secures third LPGA title with dominant display at season opener

Kim A-lim poses with the trophy after winning the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on Feb. 2 in Orlando, Florida. [AFP/YONHAP]

Kim A-lim poses with the trophy after winning the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on Feb. 2 in Orlando, Florida. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
Kim A-lim clinched her third LPGA victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions with a 20-under-par 268 on Sunday, winning the 2025 season's opening tournament in style with a wire-to-wire victory.
 

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The tournament, held at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, features only winners from the past two seasons. Kim surpassed all the previous champions, becoming the only golfer to finish all four rounds in the 60s — 65, 69, 67 and 67.
 
“So I was already implementing the changes and my plan was to just keep driving the changes I already implemented,” Kim said on Sunday about changes to her game. “So there was discomfort and definitely parts where I felt scared, but I just closed my eyes and I got myself through it.
 
Kim said that she was proud of herself and despite feeling "discomfort" adapting to her new game, she was still able to follow through with the approach during the tournament. She said she still needs to work on when to play in an aggressive manner: "On 16, I saw my line and I trusted that. [I] just hit it and then [got] a good result."
 
On the 18th, Kim targeted a birdie despite the tricky downhill nature of the hole, finding a good line and backing herself to make the vital putt, adding that she was still confident about winning the title despite eventual runner-up Nelly Korda making a birdie on the hole.   
 
"When I saw Nelly birdie 18, I also thought to myself that I'm going to birdie this as well," Kim said. 
 
Kim A-lim plays her shot from the eighth tee during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions 2025 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on Feb. 2 in Orlando, Florida. [AFP/YONHAP]

Kim A-lim plays her shot from the eighth tee during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions 2025 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on Feb. 2 in Orlando, Florida. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
This victory marks Kim's second wire-to-wire LPGA win after her triumph at the 2024 Lotte Championship. She is now the second Korean golfer to win the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, following Ji Eun-hee in 2019, and the 22nd Korean player to achieve at least three wins on the LPGA Tour.
 
Kim's first LPGA victory was the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, one of the five LPGA majors.
 
Her victory comes after a challenging 2024 season for Korean golfers, who secured only three wins across 35 tournaments — the fewest in 13 years. Alongside Kim, Amy Yang and Ryu Hae-ran claimed one title each. Yang won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, while Ryu won the FM Championship last season after an all-Korean playoff against Ko Jin-young.
 
Ko, a 15-time LPGA champion, did not continue her winning streak from 2023 but delivered a strong performance at this year's Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, finishing joint fourth alongside Australia's Minjee Lee. 
 
Ko Jin-young walks on the 16th green during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on Feb. 2 in Orlando, Florida. [AFP/YONHAP]

Ko Jin-young walks on the 16th green during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on Feb. 2 in Orlando, Florida. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
“It was hard to read a break on the green and I missed many putts,” Ko said. “My manager, my parents and even my dog supported me, so it was a very special week.”
 
Six-time LPGA winner Kim Hyo-joo tied for 10th, making her the third-best performing Korean in the tournament.
 
Among other top contenders, Korda and Lydia Ko also had impressive starts. Korda, who led the 2024 season with seven wins, finished just two strokes behind Kim A-lim as the runner-up.  
 
"I played well," Korda said. "I three-putted [hole] nine twice for par, and when you think about it that way, you're never happy with the outcome. But I think [in the] first week back, [just] get into contention and play well.”
 
Defending champion Ko secured sixth place. She ended last season with three LPGA titles and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, which earned her LPGA Hall of Fame induction.  
 
The 2025 season will test whether she can maintain that momentum against top global competitors.
 
Korean veterans like Ko Jin-young and Kim A-lim will lead the charge alongside newcomer Yoon Ina, who earned her Tour card with the best Korean finish in the LPGA Q-Series last December.
 
The next tournament, the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands, will tee off at Bradenton Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, on Thursday.
 
Update, Feb. 3: Added additional quotes from Kim A-lim. 

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
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