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Kim Hyo-joo defends Ford Championship title, becomes first LPGA Tour multiwinner of season

Published: 30 Mar. 2026, 12:19 Updated: 30 Mar. 2026, 16:58

Kim Hyo-joo poses for photographs with the winner's trophy after winning the LPGA Ford Championship in Chandler, Arizona, on March 29. [AP/YONHAP]

Kim Hyo-joo defended her Ford Championship title on the LPGA with a 28-under-par, 260, on Sunday, clinching a second straight win this season and securing her ninth trophy on the Tour in the process.

Kim shot a three-under-par, 69, in the final round at Whirlwind Golf Club in Arizona and surpassed eventual runner-up Nelly Korda of the United States by two strokes.

The win brought her the prize money of $337,500, only a week after she won her eighth LPGA title at the Fortinet Founders Cup.

“I can’t believe days like this come,” Kim said after Sunday's tournament. “I’m so happy that I can’t even put it into words. I feel really proud to win again as the defending champion.”

Having won her first LPGA title in 2014 at the Evian Championship — one of the five majors — this season marks the first time the veteran has won more than one trophy on the Tour.

Kim Hyo-joo hits her tee shot at the 14th hole during the final round of the LPGA Ford Championship in Chandler, Arizona, on March 29. [AP/YONHAP]

She is also the only multiwinner yet on the Tour this season, which has seen two Koreans — Kim and Lee Mi-hyang — winning three of the first six events. Lee was the first Korean to win an LPGA trophy with her title at the Blue Bay LPGA on March 8, followed by two straight wins by Kim.

The winning streak by Koreans marks the first since 2019, when Amy Yang, Park Sung-hyun and Ko Jin-young had three straight wins.

The 2019 season was the peak campaign for Korean golfers, who combined a total of 15 wins in that single season. Ko won four titles in that season and became the contender with the most wins of the campaign.

The 2026 season will continue with the Aramco Championship in Las Vegas on Thursday. More action will unfold with the Chevron Championship — the first major of the season — scheduled from April 23 to 26.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]