MIDLAND, Mich. \u2013 Gina Kim and Yana Wilson teamed to win the Dow Championship on Sunday for their first LPGA Tour titles, closing with an 8-under 62 in best-ball play for a two-stroke victory over Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi.<\/p>\n
Gina Kim and Wilson finished at 17-under 263 at Midland Country Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t been in a leading position for a long time,\u201d the 19-year-old Wilson said. \u201cEven as a team, I feel like both of us haven\u2019t been in this leading position. We walked down 18 just now and we were like, `Does this feel weird to you? Like this is so weird.\u2032 So it\u2019s a little nervy out there. I feel like we handled it really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gina Kim holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-4 fifth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I hit a really good shot and I was thinking, `Oh, OK, maybe I\u2019ll tap in in for birdie.\u2032 And then it just disappeared,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that really set the tone for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old Gina Kim won in her 64th start on the LPGA Tour, while Wilson was making the ninth start of her rookie season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been the most fun week,\u201d Gina Kim said. \u201cIt\u2019s been tough, and it\u2019s nice to have a really good friend to be able to do this by.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, Wilson \u2014 the 2022 USGA Girls’ Junior winner \u2014 was second and Gina Kim third on the Epson Tour money list to earn LPGA cards.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of the reason I asked Yana to be my partner is we actually played in the final group on Epson and we\u2019ve played together numerous times,\u201d Gina Kim said. \u201cSo, I knew she was really, really good under pressure and I trusted her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hyo Joo Kim and Choi finished with a 65.<\/p>\n
Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im had a 61 to tie for third at 14 under with former UCLA teammates Alison Lee and Lilia Vu (64).<\/p>\n
Juli Inkster, who at 66 became the oldest player in LPGA history to make the cut in an official event, teamed with Angel Yin to tie for 12th at 9 under. They shot 64.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had an amazing time,\u201d Inkster said. \u201cAngel played amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nelly Korda and Olivia Cowan tied for 17th at 8 under. They rebounded from a third-round 76 with a 66. Korda was coming off a victory in the U.S. Women’s Open for her second straight major victory.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n