Former U.S. Women’s Open champion takes home second LPGA title, goes wire-to-wire

A Lim Kim led the LOTTE Championship after every round, as she clinched her second career LPGA title.

Almost four years after coming from behind to win the U.S. Women’s Open, A Lim Kim has emerged victorious again.

She won the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii wire-to-wire by two strokes over Nataliya Guseva. Kim shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday, her fourth straight round in the 60s to seize the title.

“My focus always same. Not focus on result. It’s on my process and then routine and then thinking and choice my line and then go. Always process same as every week,” Kim said after the win.

“This is more better than last week, that reason more comfortable playing result, I think so.”

Kim had a shaky start to her final round, opening with a par on the par-5 1st and a bogey on the par-4 2nd. But she quickly righted the ship on the par-4 3rd, where she made her first of six birdies on the day. After carding a 1-under 35 on the front nine, Kim caught fire on the back side, birdieing the 10th and 11th holes to grab the lead outright once more.

She then arrived at the 18th tee holding a one-shot advantage and capped off her tremendous week with a birdie there, too.

“I think Hawaii is more good for me, more comfortable, and then when I came on site everything is new and then grass and read is very hard for me,” Kim added.

“But getting better form now, more easier. Yeah, so that reason more comfortable.”

With the win, Kim, the 72nd-ranked player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, improves her standing in the Race to CME Globe standings to 22nd. She is now assured of making it to the CME Globe Tour Championship, the limited-field finale that invites only the top 60 players in the season-long standings.

“I felt getting — everything is getting better on my shot, short game, and the read green, and then more familiar,” Kim said.

“Next year, I think, getting better than this year, hopefully.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.