A costly three-putt on the 16th hole: Kim Hyo-joo suffers a painful comeback loss to Ruoning Yin just short of her 10th win

Kim Hyo-joo, who had been within reach of her 10th career win on the LPGA Tour, fell just short at the final hurdle and walked away disappointed.
On the 31st Korea time, Kim shot a 1-under 71 in the final round of the LPGA Tour's FM Championship at TPC Boston (par 72) in Norton, Massachusetts, finishing with three birdies and two bogeys.
Kim posted a 12-under 276 total, but Ruoning Yin of China, who carded a 2-under round that day for a 14-under 274 total, edged her by two shots to claim the trophy. Kim had already won the LPGA Founders Cup and the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass earlier this season, and was aiming for a third victory of the year and her 10th career title. Instead, she had to settle for her second runner-up finish of the season, following the Dow Championship in June.
The battle in the final group was a tense, see-saw affair. Kim, who began the round tied for second and one shot behind Yin, took the solo lead at the 10th hole (par 4) after Yin made a bogey. But Yin answered immediately with a birdie at the 12th hole (par 5) to regain a share of the lead, and the two players matched pars through the 15th hole in a nerve-racking duel.
The title was decided at the 16th hole (par 3). Kim made a painful bogey after a three-putt, while Yin held par to move back into a one-shot lead. Kim then suffered another cruel break on the 17th hole, where her birdie putt circled the cup before staying out. On the final 18th hole (par 5), she managed only par after her tee shot found the rough and her second shot went into a bunker. Yin calmly added another birdie to seal a two-shot victory.

Yin, who earned the $660,000 winner's prize, broke into tears of joy well before Kim finished with par on the 18th hole. It was her sixth career victory and her first in about 1 year and 10 months since winning the Maybank Championship in October 2024.
Meanwhile, Korean players made a strong showing near the top of the leaderboard. Kim Sei-young, who started the day tied for second, slipped slightly with a 1-over 73 in the final round but still finished tied for fourth at 10-under 278. Defending champion Ryu Hae-ran, along with Jinhee Lim and So Mi Lee, all tied for ninth at 8-under 280. Choi Hye-jin finished tied for 13th at 7-under, Ina Yoon tied for 44th at even par, and Dongeun Lee tied for 50th at 1-over.
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