Kim Bo-ah comes from behind to snatch victory at Lotte Cantata Women's Open

Kim Bo-ah poses for a photo with the trophy, after winning the 9th Lotte Cantata Women's Open on Jeju Island, Sunday. Yonhap

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Kim Bo-ah picked up her second career win at the 9th Lotte Cantata Women's Open, Sunday. The 24-year-old Kim carded a scintillating bogey-free six-under 66 to come back from two shots behind at the 6,319-yard Lotte Sky Hill Jeju Country Club on Jeju Island.

She had a grueling Sunday before holding the trophy aloft, eking out the title by edging Kim Ji-young2 by a single stroke.

The winner played the front side in 4-under, rattling off four birdies without a bogey, and at the turn shared the lead with Kim Ji-young2 ― who was like a thorn in her side for the day ― after pulling even with the latter with her second birdie on the fourth.

In the head-to-head competition, she shared the lead with Kim Ji-young2 three times before charging ahead at the par-3 14th.

After that Kim Bo-ah did not open the door for her challenger, and clinched the title when Kim Ji-young2 missed a birdie on the penultimate hole, claiming 120 million won in prize money.

She entered the final round two shots adrift of the overnight leaders' 10-under, but then rattled off three birdies on the first, second and fourth holes to pull even at 11-under. Kim added her fourth birdie on the sixth to continue to share the lead with Kim Ji-young2 at 12-under.

She dropped back after the latter birdied the ninth, however, with a long birdie putt on the 12th, Kim Bo-ah pulled even again. Then, on the par-3 14th, she rattled off her sixth birdie of the day to take the sole lead, a shot clear of Kim Ji-young2.

She waited near the 18th green, watching her rival striving to pull up even, but grabbed the title when the latter missed the birdie putt by a hair.

“I applied my mind to hitting the center of the green. And once I was on the green, I focused on the distance, rather than direction,” a tearful Kim Bo-ah said in the post-match interview.

Kim Ji-young2 got off to a great start with a birdie on the second hole in a bid to notch her second career victory, and seized the sole lead when she birdied the par-3 fifth.

At the turn she shared the lead with Kim Bo-ah with a two-shot advantage over Lee So-mi, Cho Jeong-min and An Na-rin.

After bogeying the 10th, she got back the sole lead with a birdie on the 11th.

Kim Ji-young2 became co-leader again when Kim Bo-ah birdied the 12th, but then fell a stroke back after her rival birdied the par-3 14th.

After a dreary, long train of six pars, she stood on the 18th, one-shot back. To force a playoff, she had to birdie the hole, but failed, and ended with a three-under 69.

Defending champion Cho Jeong-min, 24, took fifth place with a two-under 70.

Overnight co-leader Lee So-mi dropped down into a tie for third with An Na-rin at 10-under when she bogeyed the sixth. Making the turn, Lee was still in the hunt for the crown, two-shots adrift of the leaders, but she was a nonfactor for the rest of the day, carding a one-over 73, and plunging into a two-way tie for sixth place.