Hwang You-min has captured her first LPGA title in Hawaii with a late birdie barrage in the final round.
Hwang won the Lotte Championship at Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, on Saturday, with a four-round total of 17-under 271. Hwang recorded birdies on five of her last six holes, including the last four straight, en route to a five-under 67 in the final round.
Hwang's fellow South Korean Kim Hyo-joo finished alone in second place at 16-under after carding a 68 in the final round. Her birdie on the final hole wasn't enough to catch Hwang, who grabbed US$450,000 in winner's check.
Hwang, 22, has been playing on the Korea LPGA Tour since 2023. She was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award in 2023 and has won two tournaments on the domestic circuit.
By winning an LPGA tournament as a nonmember, Hwang has an option of accepting her LPGA membership immediately or deferring it to the start of the 2026 season.
Hwang has said earlier this year that she would enter the LPGA qualifying tournament, the Q-Series, later this year to realize her dream of playing stateside, but she now won't have to go through that step following her win in Hawaii.
Hwang, who is sponsored by Lotte, thanked the company for extending her a special invitation to play at the tournament.
"I was going to play at the Q-Series, but I was able to capitalize on a good opportunity given to me by Lotte. I'd like to thank my sponsor," Hwang said in a televised interview afterward. "It's exciting to see my dream starting to take shape."
Hwang became the sixth South Korean player to win on the LPGA Tour in 2025, joining Kim A-lim, Ryu Hae-ran, Im Jin-hee, Lee So-mi and Kim Hyo-joo, who was tied with Hwang for second place at 12-under entering the final round and lost her lead two costly bogeys on the back nine Saturday.
Hwang is the 26th different winner on the tour this year through 25 events. This tied the LPGA record for the most unique winners in one season -- the tour also had 26 different champions in 1991, 2018 and 2022.
Hwang made the turn at an even 36 after trading a birdie with a bogey, while Kim got off to a quicker start with four birdies on the front nine. Kim grabbed the lead at 16-under with a birdie on the 11th hole, and Hwang, playing two groups ahead, was still three shots behind Kim through the 13th.
And then Hwang caught fire by making four consecutive birdies starting on the par-3 15th. Kim, meanwhile, had a short par putt lipped out on the 13th and landed her tee shot in a bunker on the 17th en route to another bogey.
Hwang, one of the longest hitters on the Korean tour, sent her second shot past the green on the par-5, 525-yard 18th, before chipping the ball into a tap-in range for an easy closing birdie.
Kim still had a chance to force a playoff with Hwang on the 18th but her eagle attempt from off the green ended up well short of the cup.
"Honestly, I didn't trust myself, but my caddie kept telling me I was playing really well," Hwang said. "He said we were in good shape and we should go for it. So it helped me find the strength to go on." (Yonhap)
