In-Kyung Kim wins State Farm Classic

Once In-Kyung Kim made par on her 72nd hole at Panther Creek Country Club, it wasn’t certain if the victory was hers quite yet. Playing in two groups ahead of the third-round leaders on Sunday, Kim had to wait a little longer than usual to see if the $255,000 winner’s check officially belonged to her. After a twenty minute delay due to inclement weather, play was resumed, and once the final putt dropped, Kim raised her arms in the air knowing she was the champion of the 2009 LPGA State Farm Classic.

“I just feel great. I am very excited to win this week,” said the 20-year-old Kim. “There were a lot of low scores this morning. I knew I had to make some birdies today out there. When I was on hole 17, that was the moment that I felt like, you know, I have a one-stroke lead.”


On Sunday, Kim fired a 7-under-par 65, and that turned out to be good enough for the one-stroke win, finishing at 17-under-par 271 overall (69-68-69-65). Starting strong with an opening-hole birdie, Kim followed that one with others on numbers five, six, eight, 11, 13, 16 and 17, and just one bogey on hole seven. Coming down the stretch, the two-time winner knew the importance of closing with birdies.

“I needed to make a birdie at 16 to get into a tie. Number 17 I had a good chance to make a birdie,” Kim added.

Now in her third year as a member of the LPGA Tour, Kim is a two-time winner. She captured her first title a year ago in 2008 at the Longs Drugs Challenge.

Coming up just short of her 25th-career LPGA Tour win was LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member Se Ri Pak. Pak (66-68-72-66=272, -16) (pictured below) held a share of the lead after rounds one and two, but in round three, four bogeys and a very blustery conditions moved her down to a tie for fourth-place, but only two strokes back from the lead. Entering the final round two strokes back from co-leaders Cristie Kerr and Kristy McPherson, Pak recorded seven birdies and only one bogey, bringing her back up near the top of the leaderboard.


Overall, Pak was pleased with her four days in Springfield, Ill., but of course she wanted to end up in the winner’s circle on the 18th-green. Pak also was proud of fellow South Korean Kim for the job she did this week as well.”

“I had a really solid four rounds,” said the 31-year-old Pak. “My whole week was really good. I felt really good to be here. I was very excited this week, and I feel really good. Of course, I like to win. Of course, I’m trying really hard, to do my best all 18. But I said, I’m really happy for her, but at the same time I’m happy about this week.”

Pair of South Korean players finished together in third place. Hee-Won Han (69-69-70-65=273) and Jee Young Lee (66-69-72-66=273) each finished the 2009 LPGA State Farm Classic with final scores of 15-under-par, good enough for the tie for third-place finish, two strokes back from the winner In-Kyung Kim.

Han, a nine-year LPGA Tour player, recorded eight birdies and just a single bogey in her final round at Panther Creek Country Club. Han’s share of third place this week is her best of the 2009 season, and first top-10 mark since the 2008 Hana Bank Kolon Championship, where she also tied for third.

Lee, rounding out the top-4 players on the leaderboard who all hail from South Korea, joins Han in the third-place spot. Lee was the round one co-leader, but three rounds later finished two strokes back from this week’s winner. Lee has one unofficial LPGA Tour victory to her credit, which came back in 2005 at the Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic, before she became an official member of the LPGA Tour.

Kim earns stay at Canyon Ranch Resort. With her victory at the 2009 LPGA State Farm Classic, In-Kyung Kim earned an all-inclusive stay for two at a Canyon Ranch resort. In a combined effort to promote health and overall well-being among Tour players, Canyon Ranch will provide every winner on an LPGA event with one all-inclusive stay at one of Canyon Ranch’s two destination resorts.