First Tournament Playoff Highlights 2025 Dow Championship

The South Korean tandem of Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im captured the 2025 Dow Championship in dramatic fashion by besting Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang on the first playoff hole Sunday afternoon at the Midland Country Club.

Lee and Im became Rolex first-time winners with a final score of 20-under. However, in an alternate shot playoff, Lee birdied an 8-foot putt to put pressure on Khang. Khang left her 5-footer wide of the cup, giving Lee and Im the winning payoff of $402,691 each. The total purse for the tournament was $3.3 million.

"First, I can't believe it," Lee said after making her winning putt. “Last year we were rookie season, and LPGA is very tough and different than KLPGA. Now we are winners, so I'm so happy, yeah.”

The Thompson/Khang duo needed an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18^th by Thompson to force the playoff in the fourball format.

Im and Lee are in their second year on the LPGA Tour and this was their first title in America, though both were prolific winners on the Korea LPGA. Im has won six times on the KLPGA, while Lee has five KLPGA titles. The South Koreans finished the week with 23 birdies, 46 pars and 3 bogeys.

The winning team put a charge into their game during Saturday’s third-round action. They shot a bogey-free third round, recorded two birdies in alternate shot format, hit 10 of 14 fairways, and 16 of 18 greens in regulations with 32 putts. Im and Lee, paired for the first time, hit 47 of 54 fairways across all three rounds of competition.

The first and third rounds were played in foursomes (alternate shot) and the second and final rounds were be played in four-ball (best-ball) format). The playoff was determined by a hole-by-hole playoff in the foursome’s format. 

The Dow Championship consisted of 144 players, 72 teams, in a 72-hole stroke play, cut to the top 33 teams and ties after 36 holes. The Midland tourney is the only official team event on the LPGA schedule.

Next on the LPGA schedule is the Evian Championship in France.

Midland Country Club in the Spotlight

The Midland Country Club put its best foot forward hosting the Dow Championship, which has been held in the Chemical City since 2019. There was no tournament in 2020 because of COVID-19.

The trek covered 6,287 yards with a par 70 (35-35). Midland Country Club, which was designed by Gilbert A. Currie, first opened in 1928. The country club has 1,000 members, with many of them volunteering their time during the tournament. As soon as the four-day event is over, officials take the next day off before meeting with country club department heads to do a debrief as to what can be improved upon for the next year while it is still fresh in their minds.

The greens are cut each day and the LPGA brings in its own grounds crew. They start about 3:30 a.m. by bringing in lights to illuminate the greens. The greens are then rolled both in the morning and at night.

One thing that patrons at the Dow Championship were treated to were ultra-clean restrooms. Tournament officials don’t purchase the plastic (smelly) porta-johns that you would see at most outdoor events, they rent stainless steel, air-conditioned units that are cleaned and stocked on an hourly basis.

Dow Championship Truly a World Wide Draw

Similar to its host-sponsor Dow, the Dow Championship is truly a world-wide event. Golfers in the sixth annual tournament came from the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Paraguay, Mexico, Australia, Chinese Taipei, and the Republic of Korea.

Hospitality Suites & Tents a Tremendous Hit

Patrons lucky enough to garner a suite pass were treated to a bevy of food and drink options that were seemingly endless. The suites, which were on rafters overlooking tee boxes and greens on holes 17 and 18, featured large-screen color televisions where fans could catch live action at the Rocket Mortgage Classic that was televised from the Detroit Country Club.

Honoring Those Who Served Through Service

Dow Championship officials go to great length to pay homage to local veterans. To thank U.S. military veterans who faithfully served our country, Kelly Services sponsored a “Veterans Hospitality Tent” which was a huge hit during the four-day tournament. Veterans from throughout the region (and beyond) were admitted free of charge, and included food and beverage.