Choi Hye-jin in action during the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open in West Caldwell, New Jersey, Sunday. (AP-Yonhap)
Choi Hye-jin in action during the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open in West Caldwell, New Jersey, Sunday. (AP-Yonhap)

Choi Hye-jin recorded her best finish of the LPGA season with a tie for third at the Mizuho Americas Open.

Choi carded a 1-under 71 in the final round Sunday at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey, mixing three birdies with two bogeys.

She finished the tournament at 8-under 280, tied for third alongside Alison Lee, Gaby Lopez and Jenny Bae. It marked her third top-10 finish of the season and surpassed her previous best result of tied for fifth at the Blue Bay LPGA in March.

The tournament was won by world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who shot a final-round 69 to finish at 13-under 275. The victory was her second of the season, following the Honda LPGA Thailand in February, and earned her $487,500 in prize money.

Choi, who joined the LPGA Tour full-time in 2022, is still seeking her first tour victory. Entering the final round three shots off the lead, she had been considered a strong contender for a comeback win.

She stayed in contention early with birdies on the par-3 fourth and par-5 sixth holes. But her putting faltered late on the front nine and into the back nine, preventing her from capitalizing on further opportunities.

"Even when my shots aren’t perfect, I learned that I can still achieve good results if I manage the course well and stay focused," Choi said. "I felt very confident at the start of the season, but as the year went on, I also felt a little fatigued. From here on, I want to approach the rest of the season with the mindset of starting fresh and doing my best."

Shin Ji-eun finished tied for seventh at 6-under 282, while Yoo Hae-ran tied for 14th at 3-under 285.

Yoon Ina ended the tournament tied for 20th at 1-under 287, and rookie-of-the-year points leader Hwang Yoo-min finished tied for 34th at 1-over 289.

(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)


khnews@heraldcorp.com