Paju, Korea - Yerim Choi finally broke through for her first career victory on the KLPGA Tour on Sunday, winning the OK Financial Group Okman Open at Adonis Golf Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Entering the final round with a three-stroke cushion, Choi carded a one-under-par 71 to finish at 10-under 206, edging out Hee-Jeong Lim by a single stroke to claim the 180 million won ($135,000) top prize. The victory comes in Choi’s 239th career start on the top-flight circuit since making her debut in 2018.
Prior to Sunday’s breakthrough, Choi had earned the moniker of a “runner-up specialist” after finishing second on nine separate occasions without a win, including a dramatic two-hole playoff loss to Min-Sol Kim at the McCall Mona Yongpyong Open in June.
Choi built a commanding six-stroke advantage on the front nine after birdying the opening hole and reaching 12-under par. Despite late bogeys at the 14th and 16th holes that allowed Lim to close within one shot, Choi safely two-putted for par on the 72nd hole to seal the wire-to-wire victory.
“I kept telling myself that I was already a winner to keep my composure, thinking that finishing second ten times wouldn’t change who I am,” Choi said following her victory. “I’ve proven over nine years that I’m a consistent player, but now I want to become a player who wins frequently. I used to lose sleep on nights after finishing second, but I think I can finally sleep peacefully for the next two months.”
The victory elevates Choi to third place in both the KLPGA season money list (659,946,191 won) and the Grand Prix points standings (326 points).