Kim Hyo-joo, Choi Hye-jin finish runner-up at Dow Championship

The South Korean pairing of Kim Hyo-joo and Choi Hye-jin finished runner-up at the Dow Championship, the only team event on the LPGA Tour, which carried a purse of $3.3 million.

Playing in a best-ball format at Midland Country Club (par 70) in Midland, Michigan, on Sunday Korean Standard Time, the duo carded a bogey-free 5-under-par 65 in the final round but fell two strokes short of the title, finishing at 15-under 265.

Victory went to the American pairing of Jina Kim and Yana Wilson. Entering the final round one stroke behind Kim and Choi, they fired a bogey-free 8-under 62 — featuring one eagle and six birdies — to finish at 17-under 263 and claim the championship.

Playing under the team name "Team Lotte," Kim and Choi delivered a clean, composed and tenacious round in the best-ball final, answering expectations with five birdies and no bogeys across all 18 holes. They simply ran into a pairing that was playing even better.

Kim and Choi opened their scoring with a birdie on the par-4 second hole, then settled into a steady run of pars. They picked up momentum with a birdie on the par-3 seventh, followed by another on the par-4 eighth to reach the turn three under for the day. In the back nine, however, they managed only two birdies as their rivals surged ahead.

Kim had been chasing her third win of the season, while Choi — seeking her first LPGA Tour victory since joining the circuit in 2022 — will have to wait for another opportunity. The runner-up finish was Choi's third top-10 of the season.

The defending champions Lee So-mi and Im Jin-hee, bidding for back-to-back titles, shot a 9-under 61 in the final round to finish at 14-under 266, tying for third with the American pairing of Allison Lee and Lilia Vu.

Kim A-lim and Yoon Yi-na carded a 5-under 65 to finish at 11-under 269, sharing seventh place with the Japanese pairing of Akie Iwai and Chiji Iwai.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States, paired with Germany's Olivia Cowan, shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 8-under 272, tying for 17th alongside the pairing of Ko Jin-young and Japan's Nasa Hataoka, among others.