A Lim Kim seemed unsure of herself for just one brief moment Saturday at Hoakalei Country Club.

Other than during the traditional victory celebration hula at the LPGA Lotte Championship, Kim appeared to be in complete control all day.

She shot a 4-under-par 68 to wrap up what was nearly a wire-to-wire four-round win. It’s her second victory on the LPGA Tour — her first came before the Korea native was a member, at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open.

Kim’s confidence seemed to grow with every shot this week, even on Saturday with Nasa Hataoka, Nataliya Guseva and others providing constant pressure. It didn’t let up until the 18th hole, where Kim’s lead was still just one shot, ahead of Guseva.

Guseva, a talented rookie who is the LPGA’s first player from Russia, kept pace throughout the tournament, until her second shot at 18 went past the green. Kim was off the green, too, but several feet closer and with a much better lie.

Guseva’s chip was on target, but it skipped past the hole, leaving Kim three strokes to win outright. She needed just two.

As she said after each round, Kim repeated that her “focus is always the same.”

Process, never result.

“Focus on my process and then routine and (choose) my line and then go,” she said.

She makes it sound easy. And she has found the elusive sweet spot where hard work and discipline meet the fact that it’s still a game.

“I always have fun whether I played well or bad, so I … always try to enjoy the moment when I’m on the course,” she said.

When asked where the turning point was Saturday, she didn’t hesitate.

“No. 2,” Kim said. “After my bogey I started to focus really well and my mind was sharp.”

She ended each day with at least a share of the lead, including Friday, when her third round included a hole-in-one.

This was much different than when she was an unknown except in Korea who birdied the last three holes to win the U.S. Women’s Open in her first appearance in an American event.

Kim and Guseva locked up spots in the LPGA’s season championship event, The Race to the CME Globe, in two weeks.

“I enjoyed it out there,” said Guseva, who, like Kim, likes playing to the crowd. She was the first to douse the winner after her winning putt.

Guseva’s best previous finish was a second-place tie at the Portland Classic in August.

Guseva birdied No. 13 to get back to 16 under and one shot behind Kim. The rest of the way to the 18th tee was full of misses on birdie putts and nerve-wracking par saves for both. Guseva made a huge par save at No. 14, resulting from an errant tee shot. It kept her one shot behind Kim, who then curled in a tough downhill 8-footer for par.

Guseva’s early charge of three birdies on the first five holes tied her with Kim at 15 under.

Auston Kim, who began the round at 10 under par, birdied four of the first six holes, putting her one stroke behind the co-leaders. She fell back but birdied No. 18 for a 67 to finish third at 15 under, a career best for her.w

“I knew that I got off to a hot start. I had a lot of chances, but putter got a little cold on the back,” Auston Kim said.

Hataoka also made a strong run. After 13 holes, she was in second at 15 under with six birdies.

“Yeah, I looked (at the scoreboard) a few times on the front side,” she said.

But she missed a putt that would have tied it at No. 16, and bogeyed 17. Hataoka finished with a 67 and 14 under par for the tournament.

Angela Stanford finished what was likely her last round on the LPGA Tour with a 1-under 71 that put her at 5 under for the event, and capping her 24-year career that featured seven wins, including a major.

“I think if you would talk to however many caddies I had throughout the years, they would tell you with all my faults, the one thing I did is I never gave up,” Stanford said. “Hopefully that’s what people remember in me. And I don’t know, that hopefully I just helped the Tour.”

There’s a chance Stanford could have one more tournament to play; she’s an alternate for The Annika at Pelican next week.

Rookie Malia Nam, this year’s only local player at Lotte, finished the event at 4 over par and in 63rd place. The Kaiser graduate will need to do very well next week to climb into the top 100 of the rankings and ensure retention of her full-time LPGA Tour status in 2025.

Nam wasn’t thinking ahead right after her Saturday round, preferring to reflect on playing in an LPGA tournament in her home state for the first time.

“It’s just been a really special week for me,” Nam said. “When I was younger, obviously this event was a big deal. I’d come out and watch. Actually playing in this event is like a full 180.”