Seven tournaments into the 2024 LPGA Tour season, South Korea still hasn’t produced a winner, an unusually long drought for a country whose dominance in women’s golf is fading by the week.

Lee Mi-hyang was the top-performing South Korean at the Ford Championship in Gilbert, Arizona, on Sunday (local time), as she tied for third place at 17-under 271.

Lee shot a four-under 68 in the final round at Seville Golf and Country Club with five birdies and one bogey, finishing three strokes back of the champion, Nelly Korda of the United States.

Lee’s fourth birdie of the day, at the 13th, moved her to 17-under and one shot off the three co-leaders at the moment, Korda, Hira Naveed and Lexi Thompson.

Korda, world No. 1, grabbed sole possession of the lead with a birdie at the 16th. Lee then bogeyed the 15th hole to fall three behind Korda and further out of contention.

Another South Korean player, Kim Hyo-joo, held a share of the 54-hole lead, but she finished tied for eighth at 16-under after shooting 71 on Sun
day. She had four birdies, one bogey and one double bogey. Kim briefly held a lead in the final round but the four-putt double bogey on the 11th took the wind out of her sails.

Both Lee and Kim have two top-10 finishes this season.

The last time South Korea didn’t have a winner this deep into an LPGA season was 2014, when Park In-bee won the 14th tournament of the campaign, the Wegmans LPGA Championship.

In 2023, four South Korean players combined for five victories.

Source: Yonhap News Agency