Almost Matchplay At The Marathon Classic

Sei Young Kim Wins Head-to-head Duel With Lexi Thompson

You'd think 20-under would be good enough to win an LPGA event, but when Sei Young Kim is on, that's not going to do it. It was Lexi Thompson who shot 20-under at the Marathon Classic presented by Dana, to finish alone in second, two shots behind Kim.

That's low, but still nine shots off of her Lpga-record 31-under par set at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic last year.

Kim was unflappable on Sunday at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. Starting the day a stroke ahead of playing partner Thompson, the 26-year-old from South Korea shot a 6-under 65 that included five birdies in a row.

"I've played with her a lot just in my career, and she's an amazing talent, it showed today," said Thompson of Kim. "She went through a stretch on the front nine or going into the back

where she stuck every shot. Had under five feet about four times in a row, so it was a very well deserved win by her."

This is Kim's ninth LPGA win in her short career. She joined the LPGA Tour in 2015, and won Rookie of the Year that year. She's won one other time this season, at the LPGA Mediheal Championship. That event was won in a playoff. It was Kim's fourth playoff of her career, and she has yet to lose when she's in a playoff.

Though Kim, ranked No. 12 in the world before this victory, is a proven champion, she has yet to win a major. She has top-10 finishes in each major on the LPGA calendar, including a second-place finish in the 2015 KPMG Women's PGA Championship and a T-2 in the Evian Championship in 2018.

After winning in Ohio, Kim said that she hasn't set specific goals about the upcoming majors yet, but a major victory is on her mind. The next one, the Evian Championship in France.