Korean star Si Woo Kim came up short in his bid for a second PGA TOUR win of the season as he settled for solo fourth at the US$20 million Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, which was won by Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
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The 27-year-old Kim closed with a 1-over 73 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio where his 5-under 283 total was two back of Hovland, who defeated Denny McCarthy in a playoff for his fourth PGA TOUR title and first on U.S. soil.
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Kim’s fifth top-10 of the 2022-23 Season, which includes a victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, moved him up to sixth place on the latest FedExCup standings.
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Leading into the final round alongside Rory McIlroy (75) and David Lipsky (77), a slow start cost Kim dearly as he dropped three strokes in his opening four holes. The four-time TOUR winner showed plenty of grit by fighting back with four birdies in his the next five holes before his title run came to another hit with another bogey on the 10th hole after missing a par attempt from seven feet.
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Any remaining hopes of challenging for the prestigious tournament ended with a double bogey on the 14th hole after he found the penalty area. Kim ground out two more birdies against another bogey to seal fourth position on his own, worth US$980,000 as he took his season’s earnings to over US$4.8 million.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the tournament winner in 2014, started the final round two back but closed with a 76 to finish in a share of 16th place on 288.
Hovland, who finished runner-up in last month’s PGA Championship, pipped McCarthy for the tournament hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus with a par in the first extra hole played on the par-4 18th hole.
The duo posted matching 70s to finish regulation play on 7-under 281 and one ahead of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, whose fine 67 catapulted him into solo third place. Hovland was over the moon after ending his two-year title drought in front of Nicklaus.
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“It’s incredible. Obviously, I feel like I’ve won a decent amount of tournaments for only being a pro for four years, however, they have been at low-key places, resort courses and abroad,” said Hovland, whose last victory came at the 2021 World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico.
“So it feels really cool to get my first win on the U.S. soil, especially at a tournament like this where this week the golf course is arguably harder than most major championship golf courses we play and the crowds were amazing out there.
“It felt like a major. So it was really cool that I was able to get it done at a place like this.”
McIlroy, who chasing a second win of the season, settled for tied seventh place.
