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South Korean Golfer Rules Indy Women in Tech Championship with Wire-to-Wire Win

September 29, 2019 | By Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Mi Jung Hur shifted into top gear Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and never lifted from the throttle until the Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group1001 ended Sunday, as she led the tournament from start to finish at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course.

Hur, from South Korea, shot a 21-under-par score of 267 to win the four-round LPGA event by four strokes over Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark. Marina Alex of the United States was third, six shots behind the winner.

“After the third round, I was talking about that wire-to-wire because I never had that before in my life and I really wanted to do it," Hur said on the 18th green. "And I did it. I'm so happy.”

Hur earned $300,000 for her second LPGA victory of the season after shooting a final-round score of 4-under 68. She also enjoyed the special spoils of victory at IMS, including kissing the famous Yard of Bricks and dousing her head with a bottle of milk like winners of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

“I saw Lexi (2017 winner Lexi Thompson) did it two years ago and was so much fun,” Hur said of the unique IMS victory celebration. “Someday I can do it, and today's the day I did. So exciting.”

Hur led by only one stroke after three holes but doubled her advantage with a birdie on the fourth hole. She finished the front nine with another birdie while her closest rivals stumbled, building her lead to five shots at the turn. She then added two birdies early on the back nine and shifted into cruise control to the finish.

Koerstz Madsen birdied the last two holes to pull into second with a final round of 67.

"MJ, when she plays good, she's on fire," Koerstz Madsen said. "So, I wasn't really thinking that I could catch her. I was thinking she's going to go out and shoot 4-under or 5-under or something, so it was going to be really hard if I had to catch her.”

The winners of the first two editions of the Indy Women in Tech Championship, Lexi Thompson of the United States (2017) and Sung Hyun Park (2018), failed to make the cut after 36 holes Friday.