Yealimi Noh carded a steady 3-under-par 68, and that was enough to pull away from the pack and win the Founders Cup by four shots on Sunday at Bradenton (Fla.) Country Club.
Noh entered the day with a one-stroke edge on South Korea’s Jin Young Ko after she rolled in eight birdies in her final 11 holes on Saturday.
The fourth round was more about staying afloat, as she holed three birdies without a bogey while Ko briefly grabbed the lead and then combusted with three bogeys on the back nine. Ko finished at 17 under after a 71.
Noh, 23, earned her first victory on tour with a 21-under 263
“This means so much to me,” the Northern California native said. “I worked really hard the past few years and went through a lot of struggles. This means so much to me.
“I told myself 2025 is going to be my year, so this is the best way to start it.”
Ko took the lead at 20 under par when she made her third birdie of the day at the par-5 eighth. It stayed that way until the par-4 13th and 14th holes, where Ko compounded mistakes with back-to-back bogeys.
Noh, meanwhile, played the holes to perfection and birdied each one, her uphill left-to-right putt at No. 14 putting her at 21 under.
Noh stayed the course and went on to defeat the former World No. 1 player.
“Being paired with Jin Young for the last two days, it was my first time playing with her (Saturday) and it was awesome to watch,” Noh said. “I knew she wasn’t going to make any mistakes and be really solid. When I saw my opportunity and I kept it together, I was really proud of myself. It was awesome to watch her play and learn from her, too.”
Ko didn’t go home upset with herself.
“I did my best, I think, and I had great week,” she said. “So much fans out there and Koreans out there so they are supporting me.
“Was great course, like sneaky from the tee. Greens are a little like narrow and small, so was hard to play. Overall, I’m just happiest person in the world.”
Megan Khang shot a 68 to place third at 16 under. Miyu Yamashita (69) of Japan, Hannah Green (70) of Australia and Jin Hee Im (71) of South Korea tied for fourth at 13 under.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda settled for a final-round 71 and a tie for seventh at 12 under with France’s Celine Boutier (67) and Japan’s Minami Katsu (70).
–Field Level Media
