LPGA: A Lim Kim wins in wire-to-wire fashion, fends off Nelly Korda

ORLANDO, Fla. — When she was younger, A Lin Kim’s friends and family referred to her as ‘Queen Kong,’ an allusion to the almighty gorilla that overpowered everyone it met. Kim received this moniker because of her exquisite length off the tee, but she politely asked her friends and family to drop the ‘Kong,’ making her new nickname only ‘Queen.’

Her play at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions resembled that, as Kim emerged as the Queen of Lake Nona, winning wire-to-wire while fending off a charging Nelly Korda on Sunday. Kim shot a 5-under 67 during the final round, as her two birdies on the 16th and 18th holes proved to be the difference. She finished at 20-under par, two strokes ahead of Korda, but Kim was never concerned about the World No. 1 tracking her down on the back nine.

“I watched the scoreboard, saw [Korda] make birdie, wow,” Kim said.

“But then I focus again on my game.”

Kim said she knew she felt good and that nothing would stop her pursuit of securing the third victory of her LPGA career.

This week’s victory also marks her second win over her last four starts — she won the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in November. But given the prestige of this event and how she fended off the top player in the world, this win was much more impressive. Granted, it’s not the U.S. Women’s Open, which she won in 2020. Still, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions is one of the more significant events on the LPGA calendar, and for Kim to take care of business like she did this week proves that she is one of the top players in the world.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.