The image of I.K. Kim in disbelief after lipping out a 1-foot putt that would have won the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship is, unfortunately, one of the most unforgettable in golf. It’s all that many people know about the 26-year-old golfer from South Korea.
Kim had won three tournaments before that Kraft Nabisco, which would have been her first major (she lost on the first hole of a playoff to Sun Young Yoo). She hadn’t won since - until Sunday.
In a dominating performance in Denham, England, Kim won the Ladies European Masters, closing with a 3-under 68 for a five-stroke victory.
Kim’s timing was good - the tournament was the last event before the Women’s British Open, which starts Thursday at Royal Birkdale.
''I just had a great time,’' said Kim, who before the Kraft Nabisco incident was best known for donating her entire check of $220,000 to charity after winning the 2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. ''It’s great to win the tournament and this is my first time playing the course so I’m really honored to win the championship. I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball really well and putting really well so I just had to go out there and enjoy myself.’'
Australia’s Nikki Campbell, who shot a final-round 67, was second. Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow, the former University of Alabama star who made a spectacular professional debut by finishing third in the U.S. Women’s Open, matched the course record of 63 to tie for third at 11 under with South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and Germany’s Caroline Masson.
