Lydia Ko ended her eight-year main drought by coming by way of a star-studded leaderboard to say a dramatic victory within the AIG Girls’s Open at St Andrews.
The previous world No 1 overturned a three-stroke deficit throughout the ultimate spherical on the iconic Outdated Course, mixing 4 birdies with a lone bogey – in moist and breezy situations – to shut a shocking final-round 69 and set the clubhouse goal.
In a single day chief Jiyai Shin, defending champion Lilia Vu and world No 1 Nelly Korda all had probabilities to catch Ko over the closing stretch however had been unsuccessful, because the Olympic gold medallist completed two photographs clear and secured a primary main win because the 2016 Chevron Championship.
Vu might have pressured a play-off with a closing birdie however completed with a three-putt bogey to share second with Shin, Ruoning Yin and Korda, who squandered a two-shot benefit over the ultimate 5 holes to overlook out on a second main win of the 12 months.
How Ko claimed St Andrews thriller
Ko began on 4 beneath and made an early transfer with a birdie on the par-four fourth, which was sufficient to get inside one of many lead when Shin – two teams behind her – three-putted to bogey the third.
Lydia Ko performed alongside American Alexa Pano on the ultimate day at St Andrews
Korda two-putted from over 100 ft to birdie the fifth and cancelled out a three-putt on the subsequent to birdie the seventh, earlier than including one other on the par-four ninth to succeed in the flip in 34 and in a share of the lead.
The American began her again 9 with a birdie and produced a sensational up and down to save lots of par on the subsequent, which briefly gave her a two-shot cushion when Shin gave again the birdie on the seventh by dropping a shot on the par-three eleventh.
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Watch how Nelly Korda adopted a birdie on the seventh with back-to-back beneficial properties from the ninth to seize management of the event
Ko had posted a front-nine 35 and adopted a birdie on the tenth with one other on the 14th, however was immediately two again when she discovered the sand together with her method into the fifteenth and made an premature bogey.
Korda was closing in on a seventh win of the season when she stepped on the par-five 14th with a two-shot lead however walked off with a double-bogey seven, which dropped her right into a four-way tie for the lead alongside Shin, Ko and Vu and arrange an enchanting end.
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Nelly Korda made a seven on the par-five 14th throughout her ultimate spherical to see her two-shot lead disappear at St Andrews
Shin fell two behind with a three-putt on the fifteenth and added one other to fall three behind on the par-four seventeenth, the place Korda did not rise up and down from the Highway Gap bunker and in addition see her hopes fade.
Ko produced an excellent method into the 18th to arrange a closing birdie and set the clubhouse goal, with the New Zealander watching on as Korda closed a level-par 72 with a par and Vu three-putted from 20 ft for bogey.
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Lilia Vu missed a putt to drive a play-off on the AIG Girls’s Open, with Lydia Ko diminished to tears after seeing her victory confirmed!
Ariya Jutanugarn completed 4 strokes again in sixth spot and Casandra Alexander shared seventh with Mao Saigo and Akie Iwai, whereas a closing birdie lifted world No 1 Woad right into a share of tenth and noticed her earn the Smyth Salver.
Charley Hull went into the ultimate day 5 strokes again however pale to a share of twentieth after a three-over 75, whereas Georgia Corridor – making an attempt to safe an computerized qualification spot in Europe’s Solheim Cup workforce – was an additional stroke again regardless of a one-under 71.
Georgia Corridor completed 9 strokes again after ending the week on two over
Ko’s Cinderella rise to Girls’s Open win
Talking after victory, Ko stated: “It’s pretty surreal. Winning the gold medal in Paris a couple of weeks ago, it was almost too good to be true. I said to myself, ‘how is it possible for me to win the AIG Women’s Open?’ I’d had the most Cinderella-like story the past few weeks.
“Of all the main championships, this one I’ve had the least quantity of confidence, as a result of I’ve had the least quantity of expertise on hyperlinks and the outcomes have not adopted both. So to be holding this trophy proper now, I can not imagine it.”
Korda, who ended the week on 5 beneath, stated: “Listen, it’s golf. I’m going to mess up and unfortunately I messed up over the weekend twice in two penalising ways coming down the stretch.
“Theoretically that is what sort of value me the event however I performed properly. I performed strong. I even fought after that. I’ll take that into the following coming occasions.”
What’s next?
The Ladies European Tour heads to Ireland for the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, live from Thursday on Sky Sports, while the LPGA Tour hosts the inaugural FM Championship at TPC Boston.
There’s also the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale from Friday, where Great Britain and Ireland face the United States, while Team Europe look to retain the trophy when they face Team USA in the Solheim Cup from September 13-15. Stream the LPGA Tour, Women European Tour and extra sport with NOW.
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