Im Ji-yu claimed her first career Dream Tour title at the KLPGA's second-tier Dream Tour event 14, which carried a purse of 70 million won ($49,500).
Im fired a 6-under-par 66 in the second round Tuesday at Ocean Beach Golf & Resort (par 72) in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, finishing at 15-under-par 129. She won by 6 strokes over Choi Hye-won and Hong Su-min, who both finished at 9-under-par 135, and took home prize money of 10.5 million won.
A 6-stroke winning margin in a 36-hole Dream Tour event had not been seen since Choi Min-gyeong won Dream Tour event 14 in 2012 — a gap of 14 years. The all-time record for the largest winning margin in a 36-hole Dream Tour event remains the 10-stroke victory Kim Jin-hyeon posted at Dream Tour event 2 in 2004.
Im represented the national team from 2022 to 2023 and was part of the squad that won a silver medal in women's team golf at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. She made her regular tour debut in 2024 but struggled to post notable results and moved down to the Dream Tour.
"This first win is especially meaningful because it came after a difficult stretch following my regular tour debut," she said. "I went through a major setback and a prolonged slump, but meeting a new coach in May this year helped me see things more clearly. In the past I was fixated on technical details, but now I've simplified my swing."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
