A Lim Kim of the Republic of Korea showed no signs of rust with her wire-to-wire victory at the LPGA’s 2025 season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Held Jan. 30-Feb. 2, at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Fla., the eighth-year pro was the only player in the field who carded four rounds in the 60s with birdies on three of her last four holes for a final-round score of 5-under 67 and 20-under-par total of 268.
That gave her a two-stroke edge over hard-charging Nelly Korda (65), who finished solo second at 18-under 270.
“It’s a good start, but that’s all,” said Kim, 29, who earned her career third LPGA Tour title and the $300,000 winner’s check at the Florida limited-field championship. “Now, I will focus on the next tournament.”
Kim was returning for only her second appearance at the tour’s unique 72-hole, stroke-play event, which pairs 32 LPGA Tour winners from the last two seasons alongside 51 sports and entertainment celebrities competing in their own Modified Stableford-format competition. An Orlando resident, Kim tied for 15th at the 2022 event and was eager to kick off her 2025 season at the hometown tournament.
But looming large in the tournament field was world-top-ranked Nelly Korda of Florida — fresh off the 2024 season that delivered seven victories, including a historic five consecutive winning streak.
And New Zealand’s Lydia Ko also was in the field to defend her 2024 title at this event, staged on her home course in Orlando. Ko captured her 20th career LPGA tournament at last year’s season kickoff, spring-boarding a year that included winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Even with wins at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open Championship (as a non-LPGA Tour member), another wire-to-wire win at the 2024 LOTTE Championship and three victories on the Korean LPGA Tour before her 2021 LPGA rookie season, Kim was not the most-feared name on the leaderboard at week’s start. Perhaps that was an oversight.
Kim entered the Tournament of Champions’ final round with a three-stroke lead over Sweden’s Linn Grant (-12), followed by Ko and Korda, tied for third four shots back at -11.
Ko fired a 7-under 65 in the third round to climb into chasing position, but Kim was steady, needing only 25 putts to navigate Lake Nona’s tricky greens. Kim’s only hiccup came with a three-putt bogey on the final hole in Saturday’s third round, but it wasn’t enough for her to lose the 54-hole lead on a day highlighted by a pair of holed-out bunker shots for birdie on the ninth hole and an eagle from the sand on No. 14.
As it turned out, Ko’s final-round charge fizzled. She carded three bogeys on her first six holes and fell off pace, eclipsed by Australia’s Minjee Lee, who eagled the 15th and posted the week’s best score of 10-under-par 62. Lee’s bogey-free final round also included eight birdies.
South Korea’s Jin Young Ko also made a final-round move with timely birdies on holes 14 and 15 to move up the leaderboard with her own score of 65. Grant chased with birdies on three of her last eight holes for a 69, but could not catch what became a final-round showdown between Korda and Kim.
Korda grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on the 15th, but Kim, playing in the last group behind Korda, regained a one-stroke advantage on the same hole with her own birdie, and then built a two-shot cushion with another birdie on the 16th hole.
As expected, Korda kept up the pressure, draining a 20-foot, downhill birdie putt on the final hole to move within one stroke. All she could do was wait for Kim to either hold steady or offer a playoff chance.
“This is what I love about golf – being in the hunt on a Sunday going down the back nine,” said Korda. “I knew it was going to take a really good round today to catch her.”
Kim’s last drive found the right rough, but the South Korean placed her approach shot pin high on the 18th green. With Korda watching, Kim drained the long birdie putt dead center to secure the win by two strokes.
“When I saw Nelly birdie 18, I also thought to myself that I’m going to birdie this [hole],” explained Kim, who hit 16 greens in regulation on the last day. “So, [I thought to just] trust that.”
And trust, she did, from start to finish.
WHAT IS THE NEXT EVENT?
The next event on the LPGA Tour schedule is the Founders Cup taking place between 6-9 February at the Bradenton Country Club in Florida.