Dream comes true for S. Korean golfer with LPGA victory, tour card

Hwang You-min may be soft-spoken but the 22-year-old golfer has not been shy about stating her dream of playing on the LPGA Tour one day. Having been on the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour full-time since 2023, Hwang has said her goal was to reach the top women's tour through its qualifying tournament, the Q-Series, after this season. And then on Saturday in Hawaii, Hwang took a direct route to the LPGA Tour by winning the Lotte Championship. By taking this title as a nonmember, Hwang can accept her LPGA membership immediately or defer it to the start of the 2026 season. Either way, Hwang doesn't have to go through the gauntlet of the Q-series. "It's long been a dream of mine to win on the LPGA Tour," Hwang said at her press conference. "I am really happy and excited to get to play on this tour." Hwang won the four-round event at 17-under 271, one stroke ahead of her mentor and fellow Korean player Kim Hyo-joo. Kim led briefly on the back nine but Hwang had a torrid finish with four consecutive birdies for a five-under 67 on the final day. "Honestly, I don't remember what I was feeling during thaWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times