Si Woo Kim strikes late to claim Sony Open

Si Woo Kim of South Korea birdied his final two holes to fire his second straight six-under 64 and win the Sony Open on Sunday in Honolulu.

Kim's eight birdies and two bogeys helped him finish the week with on 18-under, beating third-round leader Hayden Buckley by a stroke.

The key moment came at the par-3 17th, where Kim's tee shot missed the green. He chipped in from about 28 feet away for a birdie that proved pivotal.

Kim said that before hitting his chip, he heard a crowd roar in the distance that told him Buckley had made a birdie at the hole behind him.

"It was kind of tough lie into the greens, so I had to hit aggressive," Kim said. "So I just hit it aggressive and goes in. Yeah, it was exciting."

The chip-in tied him with Buckley at 17 under, and his two-putt birdie at the par-5 18th at Waialae Country Club got him to 18 under. Kim clinched his fourth PGA Tour title when Buckley missed a birdie try at No. 18 that would have forced a playoff.

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Kim began the day three shots behind Buckley.

"It's like first time, winning like first event ... can't be better than this," said Kim, who last won in January 2021. "So this is really exciting, and hopefully a lot of the season's left. Hopefully trying to get more confidence and then like, hopefully get more wins."

Buckley, who made two eagles Saturday to grab the 54-hole lead, shot a 2-under 68 on Sunday with four birdies and two bogeys, both of which came on the back nine. His pars on the last two holes prevented him from chasing down Kim.

"I feel like I had control of the tournament pretty much the whole way, but just a late miss I think on 15 from three or four feet really hurt, but I bounced back with a birdie and gave myself a chance," said Buckley, who was