Kim A-lim, Amy Yang tie for fourth at Chevron Championship

Kim A-lim and Amy Yang tied for fourth place at the Chevron Championship at the Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, where Lilia Vu of the United States won this season’s first major on Sunday.

Kim A-lim plays her shot from the second tee during the final round of the Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas on Sunday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Kim A-lim and Amy Yang tied for fourth place at the Chevron Championship at the Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, where Lilia Vu of the United States won this season’s first major on Sunday.

Vu tied with countrywoman Angel Yin with 10-under-par, 278, forcing a playoff. She made a birdie on the playoff, ultimately grabbing her first ever major title and winning her second LPGA title of the season after the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.

Moments after winning the major title, Vu followed a tournament tradition that started from the event’s former venue in California by jumping into the lake short of the 18th green that organizers dredged in lieu of the infamous Poppie’s Pond.

Lilia Vu, right, jumps into the lake on the 18th hole with Anne-Lise Bidou after winning the Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woordlands, Texas on Sunday. [AP]

The Chevron Championship had originally taken place in Rancho Mirage, California, where Poppie’s Pond was located.

Kim and Yang finished the event with eight-under-par, 280, managing the best finish among the Korean golfers.

It was also Kim’s best finish since the Kroger Queen City Championship last September, where she tied for fifth place.

Yang, on the other hand, finished in the top five at a major for the first time since the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2017, where she tied for fourth.

Two former Korean champions of the Chevron Championship — 2019 champion Ko Jin-young and 2017 champion Ryu So-yeon — also competed in this year’s but fell short of the top five.

Ko managed seven-under-par, 281, and tied for ninth place, while Ryu failed to make the cut.

The LPGA tour will continue on Thursday at the JM Eagle LA Championship at the Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, California.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]