Kim A-lim stumbles in final round of LPGA major in Wales
Kim A-lim of Korea gestures after putting on the 5th green during the final round of the Women's British Open golf championship, at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Porthcawl, Wales, Sunday, Aug. 3. AP-Yonhap
Kim A-lim fell short of winning her second career LPGA major title after stumbling in the final round in Wales.
Kim shot one-over 73 to close out the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Porthcawl, Wales, on Sunday (local time) at seven-under 281. She finished tied for fourth place, four shots behind the champion, Miyu Yamashita of Japan.
This was Kim's worst round of the tournament. After carding a 67 in the third round, Kim came into Sunday trailing Yamashita by one stroke at eight-under.
They were paired together in the final group. While Kim had two bogeys and a birdie over her first four holes, Yamashita held steady with a birdie over that same stretch.
Kim bogeyed the seventh to drop to six-under for the tournament. She birdied the last two holes on the front nine to make the turn at eight-under, but Yamashita also birdied those same holes to reach 12-under.
Yamashita strung together seven straight pars on the back nine, as Kim took herself further out of contention with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch starting at the 14th.
As a small consolation, Kim nearly holed out for an eagle on the par-5 18th before tapping in for a birdie and tying Rio Takeda of Japan for fourth place.
All 20 LPGA tournaments so far this season have had different champions. It's the longest such streak in LPGA history, and Kim, who won the season opener, Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, in February, was trying to end that run and become the first multiple champion of 2025.
Kim instead settled for being the only South Korean player in the top 10.
The AIG Women's Open was the fifth and final major of the 2025 LPGA season. South Korean players have now been shut out at majors for the third time in five seasons.
The country produced at least one LPGA major champion every year from 2011 to 2020 but has had just two major winners since 2021.