Choi Ye-rim has finally secured her first victory on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour after finishing as the runner-up nine times.

Playing in the final third round of the OK Financial Group Utman Open (total purse of 1 billion won) held at Adonis Country Club (par 72) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 6th, Choi grabbed three birdies on the front nine before experiencing some turbulence with two bogeys on the back nine.

However, finishing with a total of 10-under-par 206, Choi edged out Lim Hee-jung (total 9-under-par 207), who pursued her closely until the very end, by a single stroke.

Making her debut on the regular tour in 2018, Choi claimed the top spot in her 239th tour appearance, pocketing 180 million won in prize money.

Leaping to third place in the season prize money rankings and also climbing to third in the grand prize points race, Choi shook up the tour's landscape, which had been solidifying into a two-way race between Seo Gyo-rim and Kim Min-sol this season.

Having settled for second place after losing to Kim Min-sol in a playoff at the McCol·Mona Yongpyong Open last June, Choi did not let the opportunity slip away this time.

Entering the final round as the sole leader with a three-stroke cushion, Choi secured three birdies on the front nine holes, driven by precise iron shots that missed the green only once.

On the 9th hole (par 5), she sank a 3.5-meter birdie putt to widen her lead over the chasing group to six strokes.

As Choi hit a brief lull with consecutive pars on the back nine, Lim Hee-jung mounted a fierce charge.

Lim, who shaved three strokes off her score on the front nine, added three more birdies up through the 15th hole to put pressure on Choi.

Due to a bogey by Choi on the 14th hole (par 4), the gap between her and Lim narrowed to just two strokes in an instant.

After Lim holed out without converting her birdie putt on the 18th hole (par 4), Choi faced another crisis on the 16th hole (par 4).

With a shaky tee shot, Choi reached the green in three and failed to sink a 4-meter par putt, dropping another stroke.

Entering the 18th hole with a one-stroke lead, Choi sent her tee shot into the right rough, but breathed a sigh of relief after landing her second shot safely on the green.

Calmly finishing with two putts, Choi soaked in the joy of victory as fellow players showered her with water.

"I was very nervous because I remembered missing out on wins before, but I tried not to think about the score gap and just focused on my own game," Choi said.

Lim Hee-jung, who has five career KLPGA Tour wins, rose from 72nd to 38th in the season prize money rankings following her runner-up finish this week.

Kim Min-sol, a three-time winner this season, shaved four strokes on the final day to finish alone in third place at 8-under-par 208, overtaking Seo Gyo-rim—who did not compete in this tournament—to recapture the top spot in the season prize money rankings.

(Photo courtesy of KLPGA, Yonhap News)