Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Australia’s in-form Hannah Green birdied the first hole of a three-way playoff to capture her third LA Championship title on Sunday on the LPGA Tour. Green curled in a long birdie putt at the first hole of sudden death to edge South Koreans Kim Sei-young and Im Jin-hee for her eighth LPGA crown. She had muscled her way into the playoff with a four-under-par 68 that included five birdies on the back nine. The victory in the last event before the first women’s major of the year, next week’s Chevron Championship in Houston, is Green’s fourth worldwide this year.
“I felt like I was doing what I said I wanted to do yesterday, hit more greens,” said Green, who started the day two shots off Kim’s lead and admitted that after a birdie and two bogeys on the front nine, “I honestly didn’t think I was in the tournament still.” “I’m just fortunate that I at least got into the playoff,” said Green, who joined Kim and Im on 17-under 217. “I had that putt, very similar line, in regulation. It still was a tough putt so really glad it went in the hole.”
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Green is in red-hot form, winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and the Women’s Australian Open and Australian WPGA this year. Although it’s her third LA Championship crown, Green couldn’t lean on familiarity with the course. She won in 2023 and 2024 at Wilshire Country Club, while this year’s edition was played at El Caballero for a second straight season because of course renovations at Wilshire.
Kim, a 13-time LPGA winner, started the day with a two-shot lead after a rollercoaster third round that saw her eight-shot advantage evaporate with four straight bogeys. With the help of a chip-in eagle at the par-five 11th, she was up by one with two holes to play but bogeyed the par-three 17th on the way to a two-under 70. “Just a little disappointed because I had a good chance for the win,” she said.
Im’s chances of a second LPGA title looked dim after a double bogey at the 10th but she powered back with a five-under 67, joining the leaders with an eagle at the par-five 16th. They returned to 18 for the playoff, where Im missed the green with her second shot and Kim missed her birdie attempt to set the stage for Green.
© 2024 AFP
