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One stroke's enough South Korea's Mi Hyun Kim wins Betsy King Classic
Posted: Thursday October 14, 1999 08:04 PM
KUTZTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Rookie Mi Hyun Kim fired a 2-under 70 and fought off three challengers to win the rain-delayed $725,000 LPGA First Union Betsy King Classic by 1-stroke Sunday. Kim, who began the day tied with two others 1-stroke off the lead, finished with a four-day total of 8-under 280 to pick up her second LPGA Tour victory of the year. The start of the final round at the 6,075 yard Berkleigh Country Club course was delayed for four hours because of the heavy rain, and the leaders played the last few holes in virtual darkness. Hall of Famer Beth Daniel, who began the day leading by 1-stroke at 7-under, shot a 72 to finish 1-stroke back at 281 along with Jenny Lidback (69) and Helen Dobson (71). All three missed a golden opportunity to catch Kim when she put her approach into a creek and took a drop for her only bogey of the back nine on the 17th. "I felt like all the work I put in the last three days went out the window on that shot," Kim, from Seoul, Korea, said through an interpreter. Dobson hit the pin with her approach on the same hole, but missed a 5-foot birdie putt. Lidback missed a 4-footer for a birdie on the same hole and Daniel was inches short on a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th. "I hit the ball well enough to win but I let it get away," said Daniel, who has not won since 1995. "The bottom line was that I didn't putt well. I had 36 putts today and you're not going to win many tournaments with that." The victory was worth $108,750 to Kim, who said she knew that she was being seriously challenged on the back nine. "Before the turn I didn't feel much pressure," she said. "But I really got nervous on the back nine and I didn't play my normal game." After hitting a bad drive to bogey on the first hole, Kim birdied No. 2 with a 7-foot putt. She took the lead for good with a birdie on No. 5 by putting her approach inches from the hole, and made the turn at 9-under after additional birdies with short putts on Nos. 7 and 9.
Marisa Baena, who shot a final round 70, and Jill McGill (71)
finished 3-strokes back at 6-under 282.
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