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South Korean golfers have achieved a historic double victory on both the LPGA and PGA Tours. Yoo Hae-ran reached the top of the podium at the Evian Championship, securing her second consecutive major title, while Kim Joo-hyung clinched his fourth career win after a two-year and nine-month drought.
Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the story.
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After surging to a three-stroke lead with an impressive 11-under par in the third round, Yoo Hae-ran faced pressure from competitors on the final day due to struggles with her putting.
As Yoo faltered, Canada's Brooke Henderson, who had been trailing by seven strokes, joined the title race, even recording a hole-in-one.
Yoo, who had not made a single birdie through the 17th hole, finally sank her first birdie on the 18th. She then headed into a playoff against Henderson, who had finished with a dramatic eagle on the final hole.
Despite Henderson's momentum, Yoo remained composed.
In the first playoff hole, a par-5 18th, Yoo landed her second shot on the green and easily secured a birdie to seal the victory.
Having won the "Women's PGA Championship" two weeks ago, Yoo became the first Korean player in 13 years to win back-to-back majors since Park In-bee, who set a record of three consecutive major wins in 2013. Yoo has earned a staggering 5 billion won in prize money from these two tournaments alone.
[Yoo Hae-ran / 5-time LPGA Tour winner: "I thought I was a player who didn't have 'major luck.' I always played poorly whenever I went to a major. But I am so honored to have been able to win the tournaments I've dreamed of for the past three weeks (in two consecutive events)."]
Meanwhile, Kim Joo-hyung claimed a come-from-behind victory at the PGA Tour's Genesis Scottish Open.
Starting the final round in a tie for fourth, one stroke behind the leader, Kim fired six birdies without a single bogey to defeat Australian-Korean Min Woo Lee by two strokes.
After breaking a long silence to secure his fourth career win in two years and nine months, an emotional Kim shed tears and expressed his gratitude to Tiger Woods, who provided him with significant advice during difficult times while they played on the same team in a virtual golf league.
[Kim Joo-hyung / 4-time PGA Tour winner: "I asked Tiger Woods so many questions (while playing on the same team) and received a lot of help on several occasions. It has been three years since my last win, and he was the first person to send me a congratulatory text."]
This marks the first time in five years that South Korean players have won on both the PGA and LPGA Tours on the same day, since Im Sung-jae and Ko Jin-young in 2021.
(Video Editing: Park Jeong-sam)
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