The ladies are finally back, starting their season in a now-warmer Orlando, Fla.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions took place at the beloved Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, just minutes away from the recent PGA Show at the Orange County Convention Center.
A Lim Kim, a major champion, is one for one heading into the 2025 LPGA Tour season. She shot 20-under, beating Nelly Korda by two strokes and Linn Grant by five. Korda tried her best to finish in first, even birdieing the last hole, but Kim was too far ahead.
Korda said, “This is what I love about golf, being in the hunt on a Sunday going down the back nine. Yeah, I mean, I played well. I wish I had a couple of those putts back this week. I three-putted 9 twice for par, and when you kind of think about it that way, you’re never going to be happy with the outcome. But I think first week back, get into
contention and play well, there is never anything bad about it. Definitely wish I had a couple of those putts back.”
Kim, who now has three wins since her rookie year on the LPGA Tour in 2021, had a dominant Sunday. She was the only player to shoot in the 60s every day, closing out with a final 65 made up of seven birdies to claim the $300,000 first-place payout.
Like most players, Kim was coming back from an offseason full of swing changes. When asked how that played into her mental game this week, she replied, “So I was already implementing the changes, and my plan was to just keep driving the changes that I was already having implemented. So, there was discomfort, definitely parts where I felt scared, but I just closed my eyes and I got myself through it.”
Kim showed us how incredible the mental game can be, especially in the first start of the season. With this win under her belt, she is leading the Race to CME Globe rankings.
Also making waves this week was 15-year-old amateur Asterisk Talley, who won amongst the amateur field. You may remember her from the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, where she was atop the leaderboard.
We’ll see Nelly Korda and an impressive field this week at the Founders Cup Presented by U.S. Virgin Islands, which is taking place just down the road in Bradenton, Fla.
