Kim Hyo-joo falls one short of career win No. 10, finishes runner-up at FM Championship

Shoots 1-under 71 in final round for 12-under 276 total

Three-putt bogey on 16th hole costs her the lead

Kim Hyo-joo plays her shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2026 LPGA Tour FM Championship on Monday at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts. [AFP]

Kim Hyo-joo came agonizingly close to her 10th career LPGA Tour victory Monday, only to fall short and push the milestone to another day.

Kim carded three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under-par 71 in the final round of the FM Championship (purse: $4.4 million) at TPC Boston (par 72) in Norton, Massachusetts, on Monday (Korean Standard Time).

Her total of 12-under 276 left her two strokes behind China's Yin Ruoning, who fired five birdies against three bogeys for a 2-under 70 and a winning total of 14-under 274. Kim settled for runner-up honors.

Kim had won back-to-back titles at the Fortinet Founders Cup and the Ford Championship in March and was chasing a third win of the season alongside her 10th career victory. She fell short of both goals and recorded her second runner-up finish of the season, following the Dow Championship in June.

Kim entered the final round tied for second, one stroke behind Yin. She seized the outright lead at the 10th hole (par 4), making birdie while Yin bogeyed to flip the leaderboard. The two drew level again at the 12th hole (par 5), where Kim saved par as Yin made birdie. They matched each other with pars on holes 13 through 15, keeping the tension alive.

The tournament turned at the 16th hole (par 3). Kim three-putted for bogey while Yin made par, surrendering the solo lead by one stroke. At the 17th, Kim's birdie putt lipped out, leaving her unable to close the gap.

Needing a birdie at the 18th hole (par 5), Kim saw her tee shot find the rough and her second find a bunker. She managed to save par, but Yin finished with a birdie to seal a two-stroke victory.

As Kim finished with par on the 18th, Yin was already in tears before stepping up to her birdie putt. She drained it to claim her first win of the season and her sixth career LPGA Tour title. The winner's share was $660,000.

Kim Sei-young, who also began the final round tied for second, made three birdies but stumbled with a double bogey and two bogeys for a 1-over 73, finishing at 10-under 278 in a tie for fourth.

Ryu Hae-ran, the 2024 champion who was chasing her third win of the season, along with Im Jin-hee and Lee So-mi, all finished at 8-under 280 in a tie for ninth. World No. 1 Nelly Korda struggled to a 1-over 289 total, tying for 50th.

Kim Hyo-joo congratulates Yin Ruoning of China after Yin sinks the winning putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 2026 LPGA Tour FM Championship on Monday. [AFP]

yjc@heraldcorp.com