Back-to-back wins and a 54-hole scoring record — Hyo Joo Kim’s start to 2026 continued at pace as the South Korean defended her Ford Championship title.
Hyo Joo Kim successfully defended her title at Whirlwind Golf Club in Phoenix on Sunday, finishing 28-under par to beat Nelly Korda by two shots for her ninth LPGA Tour victory.
Two Wins, Two Weeks — And a Scoring Record Along the Way
The South Korean won the Fortinet Founders Cup the previous Sunday — also against Korda — and carried that form into Arizona without interruption. Kim is the first player in known LPGA history to shoot two rounds of 61 or better in the same tournament, doing so in rounds one and three.
She broke the tour’s 54-hole scoring record on Saturday before falling three shots short of Sei Young Kim’s 72-hole record of 257. “It’s super hard as a player to become a defending champion,” Kim said. “But I took the great energy from last week and the course and all of that into this place here.”
Korda Couldn’t Close The Gap
Korda made a run at Kim in the final round. An eagle on the second hole cut the deficit to two, and Kim’s double bogey at the eighth reduced her lead to one. The Korea Times But Korda bogeyed nine to hand Kim a two-shot cushion into the back nine and she never seriously threatened again.
A late eagle at 17 was too little. Korda finished runner-up for the second week running at 26-under. “I’ve put in a lot of work,” she said. “You can have someone like Hyo Joo that’s going to test you — but in a good way to improve.”
Rhodes Posts Best LPGA Result of Her Rookie Season
England’s Mimi Rhodes was the leading European and the week’s standout subplot. The 24-year-old, a three-time LET winner in 2025, shot a nine-under 63 on Saturday to move into contention, before finishing in a share of sixth at 18-under — her best result since joining the LPGA Tour this season.
Franziska Kinhult of Sweden matched her score, also finishing T6, while Germany’s Esther Henseleit tied for ninth at 17-under.
Full results here https://www.lpga.com/tournaments/ford-championship/results
Photo Credits: Getty/LGPA
