Kim Hyo-joo finishes second at Women's Scottish Open

Kim Hyo-joo finished the Women’s Scottish Open in second place Sunday. Kim carded a bogey-free 7-under-par in the last round, managing a 13-under-par, 275, at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, but her effort fell 2 strokes short of winner Celine Boutier

Kim Hyo-joo [AP/YONHAP]

Kim Hyo-joo finished the Freed Group Women’s Scottish Open in second place on Sunday.

Kim carded a bogey-free seven-under-par, 65, in the last round, managing a 13-under-par, 275, at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland, but her effort fell two strokes short of winner Celine Boutier.

The two competed fiercely until the 16th hole, as Kim was only one stroke behind Boutier, but the French golfer carded a birdie on the 17th hole and made a par on the 18th hole, securing her third title of the season with a 15-under-par, 273.

Sunday’s victory came just a week after Boutier won the Evian Championship — one of the five majors — on July 30.

Three of her five LPGA titles came from this season: The LPGA Drive on Championship in March, Evian Championship and the Scottish Open.

Kim, on the other hand, has finished as runner-up twice this season after the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June.

The 28-year-old has yet to secure a title this season despite showing good form, having managed seven top-10 finishes so far.

Kim A-lim managed the second-best finish by a Korean golfer, tying for fourth with 11-under-par, 277.

Multiple top-ranked golfers, including No. 2 Ko Jin-young, were not in action at the Scottish Open, as they opted to skip the event ahead of the AIG Women’s Open — the season’s last major.

Ko still remains the only Korean to have won a tournament this season, having won the HSBC Women’s World Championships in March and the Cognizant Founders Cup in May.

She will look to lift her first major trophy this season at the AIG Women’s Open, set to tee off at Walton Health Golf Club in England on Thursday, where she could regain the No. 1 position on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings that she ceded to Nelly Korda last week.

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