When Kim Sei-young, 33, pulled off a magical shot eagle on the 11th hole (par 5), Hannah Green (Australia) was tied for 5th place, five strokes behind sole leader Kim Sei-young. But when the tournament ended, Green was the one holding the trophy. Once again, the Korean contingent bowed their heads to the "Korean Killer" Green, who has frequently won after battling Korean players.
In the LPGA Tour's JM Eagle LA Championship, which concluded on the 19th (local time) at El Caballero Country Club (par 72) in Los Angeles, Kim Sei-young and Im Jin-hee tied with Green at 17-under-par 271 over four days to force a playoff, but conceded a birdie to Green and finished as co-runners-up.
Green took home the winner's prize of $712,500 (about 1.05 billion won), while Kim Sei-young and Im Jin-hee each received the co-2nd place prize of $388,849 (about 570 million won). Excluding the major tournaments and the season-ending CME Tour Championship, this event offered the largest single-tournament prize purse ($4.75 million).
It was a particularly disappointing runner-up finish for Kim Sei-young, who had ended a five-year winless drought with her victory at the BMW Ladies Championship in Haenam, Korea last October, and was aiming for her 14th tour win.
Starting the 4th round as the sole leader with a two-stroke lead over the second-place group, Kim Sei-young shot 2-under with one eagle, three birdies, and three bogeys. When her third shot on the 11th hole, hit long considering the green's slope, rolled down and disappeared into the hole, her victory seemed close with a 3-stroke lead over 2nd place. When Kim pulled the ball from the hole, playing partner Green extended a fist bump to congratulate her.
However, Kim Sei-young's bunker shot on the 12th hole (par 4) fell short of the green, leading to a bogey and allowing the chasing group to close within two strokes. On the 16th hole (par 5), her tee shot wrapped completely left but luckily hit a net and bounced back into the fairway, allowing her to save par. But on the 17th hole (par 3), she was tripped up by a bunker again. Her tee shot was slightly short, rolling into the left bunker, and her bunker shot went long, leaving a par putt of over 3 meters. The putt drifted left and Kim recorded a bogey, giving up a share of the lead to Green and Im Jin-hee from the preceding group.
In the playoff that continued on the 18th hole (par 4), Kim Sei-young two-putted from about 10 meters for par, after which Green sank a 5-meter birdie putt. She read the slope curving left at the end brilliantly. Im Jin-hee had to hit her second shot over some trees after her tee shot went into the rough outside the cart path on the right, and finished with a par with 3-on, 1-putt.
Wearing her trademark red pants and hoping for her first win in six months, Kim Sei-young will long rue her two bunker shots from that day. "I had a chance to win but missed it, which is disappointing," Kim said. "I'll do well in the next tournament. That's all I have to say today," she said before leaving. Deep regret was palpable. Im Jin-hee, a 3rd-year player with one tour win, fought hard by shooting 5-under on the final day but had to be content with moving up from tied for 6th to tied for 2nd. Still, with her T3 finish at last month's Founders Cup and this runner-up finish, she's maintaining good momentum for her first win of the season.
Green, born in 1996, earned her 2nd victory of the season in just over a month, following her win at the HSBC World Championship last month. It's her 8th career win. She won her first tour title at the 2019 major KPMG Women's PGA Championship, beating Park Sung-hyun by one stroke in a surprise victory. In 2024, she won the BMW Ladies Championship held in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, breaking the "tradition" of the event that had been won only by Korean or Korean-heritage players since its inception in 2019. At the HSBC World Championship, where Korean players have won 8 of the 18 editions held, Green won twice in 2024 and 2026. Last year, she led Australia's victory at the International Crown team competition held in Korea. After the round, Green said, "With the season's first major ahead, my confidence in my game has grown."
Meanwhile, the Chevron Championship, a major tournament, begins on the 23rd at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston. Yoon Yi-na, who finished 4th at 16-under on this day for her first top-5 finish since her debut last year, will also step onto the major stage with confidence. Kim Hyo-joo, a 2-time winner this season who withdrew from the LA Championship before the 2nd round due to back pain, will also compete.