Team LOTTE Falls Short In Dow Championship Duel

Hye-Jin Choi and Hyo Joo Kim made Team LOTTE a problem all Sunday at the Dow Championship, but Midland Country Club still refused to hand them the final punchline.

Choi and Kim delivered a spotless 5-under 65 in the best-ball finale, finishing at 15-under 265, yet Yana Wilson and Gina Kim had just enough firepower to win the LPGA team event at 17-under 263.

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That’s the cruel edge of this format. You can play clean, stack birdies, avoid every big mistake and still watch someone else lift the trophy.

Team LOTTE didn’t lose this one with a collapse. They lost it because Wilson and Kim, playing as Weapons of Grass Destruction, went nuclear at the right time.

An eagle on the fifth hole and six birdies gave the champions the separation they needed, while Choi and Kim spent the afternoon applying pressure without ever cracking the code.

The Korean duo opened with purpose. A birdie on the par-4 second gave them early traction, and after a run of pars, they struck again at the par-3 seventh.

One hole later, another birdie pushed them deeper into contention. A front-nine 32 had Team LOTTE at 13-under and very much alive.

The chase got tighter on the back nine, even if the scorecard looked calmer. Choi and Kim birdied the par-4 12th to reach 14-under, then closed with style by adding one more birdie on the par-3 18th.

No bogeys. No panic. No gift-wrapped holes for anyone chasing them or trying to bury them.

Still, second place is second place, and this one will sting because the golf was good enough to win plenty of weeks.

For Hyo Joo Kim, it’s another strong result in a season already loaded with proof.

The 30-year-old has won twice in 2026, taking the Fortinet Founders Cup and the Ford Championship in consecutive weeks. With nine LPGA Tour victories and a major title from the 2014 Evian Championship, Kim doesn’t need validation.

But this was another reminder that she’s still dangerous whenever a leaderboard gets crowded.

For Choi, the takeaway feels different. The 26-year-old remains in search of her first LPGA Tour win, but Sunday’s bogey-free card added more evidence that she’s close.

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Three top-10 finishes in 10 made cuts this season say the door is rattling.

Team LOTTE left Midland without the trophy, but not without momentum. And in this event, momentum still means plenty, too.

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