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Final-Hole Drama Seals Epson Tour Victory for Gina Kim at Copper Rock

The sustained, 30 mph wind in Hurricane produced a five-hour endurance test that Gina Kim labeled “mentally grueling.” The water? That element created only a momentary splash, introducing just the right amount of drama Saturday afternoon in the Copper Rock Championship. 

Kim’s bogey on the 18th hole briefly brought a potential three-way playoff into view. But when Carla Tejedo Mulet also bogeyed that hole after an errant drive and Melanie Green missed a short birdie putt, Kim secured her second victory of the season.  

2025 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship winner, Gina Kim

The Duke graduate earned $37,500 by posting 69-65-69 for a 13-under-par total. Halfway through the Epson Tour schedule, Kim is assured of returning to the LPGA Tour in 2026. She’ll do so with good memories of her first visit to Utah, even amid the last-hole adventures. Kim hooked her drive just enough that the ball bounced sharply left and trickled into the lake. 

Knowing the ending, she could laugh in the retelling of that story. “I mean, I dunked it into the water,” she said. “So, talk about a finishing hole, right? The great part was I didn’t panic. I knew that hole was going to play tough for everyone else too.” 

Carla Tejedo Mulet could have a forced a playoff with a par on the 54th hole of the Copper Rock Championship.

Kim’s closing 69 was the only sub-par round among the top four finishers, with the wind making everything a major challenge at Copper Rock Golf Course. In Mulet’s case, the test of survival included a bout with stomach illness in the middle of the round, causing her to run to restrooms multiple times and occasionally sit beside the tee box or green  between shots.

Playing in the second-to-last threesome, Kim took a three-stroke lead over Green through 14 holes, having reached 5 under for the day and 15 under for the tournament. Her three-putt bogey on the par-3 No. 15, where Mulet would birdie, made things more interesting. And then Mulet birdied the par-3 No. 17, ultimately giving herself a chance to tie with a par when Kim bogeyed the par-4 No. 18. 

Melanie Green’s missed birdie putt on the 54th hole sealed the victory for champion Gina Kim.

As the last group finished the round, Kim was prepared for a playoff. That became unnecessary when Mulet bogeyed after driving into an awkward position right of the fairway and Green missed her tricky 4-footer after a brilliant wedge shot. 

“Oh, absolutely, absolutely, I was watching every bit of it,” Kim said. “I actually thought Melanie was going to make that putt, so I was accepting that I was going to go into a playoff. I was at peace with it. … Surprisingly, it didn’t go in. I was like, ‘OK, well, there it is.’ ”

Just like that, the trophy, the symbolic check and the satisfaction of winning were all hers. Kim credited her mother/“super-caddie,” Sangsuk, for “putting up with me for these past four weeks” during the tour’s swing through California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, adding, “I think she’s ready to go home.”

Gina Kim shared trophy honors with her mother and “super-caddie,” Sangsuk.

Next season, Kim will be ready for another shot at the LPGA Tour. “Last year was definitely a tough one for me,” she said. “When I do go back to the LPGA, I’ll look back on this and remind myself that I’m more than capable to do what I set my mind to do.”

Copper Rock administrators, meanwhile, will prepare for the second half of their doubleheader. The LPGA Legends Championship will take the stage for another 54-hole event, Thursday through Saturday. The field will include Utah Golf Hall of Fame member Sue Nyhus, who was awarded a Utah Section PGA exemption, and Arizona resident Robin Krapfl, representing the Utah Golf Association as the winner of the 2024 Senior Women’s State Amateur. 

Click here for the final leaderboard from the 2025 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship.

2025 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Meda/Randy Dodson.