THE 2025 LPGA Tour’s streak of unique winners was extended yesterday when Korean Hwang Youmin won the Lotte Championship with a late surge in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
A Korea LPGA member competing on a sponsor’s invitation, Hwang birdied five of the last six holes including the final four at Hoakalei Country Club for a closing 5-under 67.
Her 72-hole aggregate of 17-under 271 was just enough for a one-shot victory over compatriot Kim Hyo-Joo .
Japan’s Minami Katsu was two off the lead on 15-under while US star Nelly Korda was among four players tied for fourth.
Hwang’s maiden LPGA Tour victory made her the 26th different winner through 25 events this year, matching the tour’s record for the most unique winners in a single season – a benchmark that was set in 1995 and met again in 2018 and 2022.
Hwang’s performance was highlighted by a superb second round of 10-under 62, which tied the tournament record and was her career low round across both the LPGA and Korea LPGA Tours.
This was her third start at the Lotte Championship, with her previous best finish being joint ninth in 2023.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Lotte for inviting me. I think it’s all the more meaningful that I can play and win a tournament sponsored by Lotte, who is my sponsor as well,“ said Hwang.
“It was an honour for me to play with strong players on the LPGA Tour, and I actually watched their play and learnt a lot,“ added the 22-year-old, who turned professional in 2022 and has two wins on the Korea LPGA Tour.
This was Hwang’s sixth career LPGA start and fourth of the season, following the US Women’s Open, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and The Evian Championship.
She is the sixth Korean player to win on tour this year, joining Jin Hee Im, A Lim Kim, Hyo Joo Kim, Somi Lee and Haeran Ryu.
With the win, Hwang had the option of accepting immediate LPGA membership or deferring it to the 2026 season.
She opted to defer her membership to next year and will therefore not be counted as a Rolex First-Time Winner for 2025.
Hwang is the first non-member to win on the LPGA Tour since Rio Takeda took home the Toto Japan Classic title in November 2024. – LPGA Tour