Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Lydia Ko continued her late-season surge on Sunday, firing a sensational nine-under par 63 to win the US LPGA Queen City Championship by five strokes on the heels of her Olympic and British Open triumphs. New Zealand’s Ko started the day two shots behind Thailand’s Atthaya “Jeeno” Thitikul, but she seized control with an eagle at the 11th and powered to victory with a 23-under par total of 265. She had seven birdies and no bogeys at TPC River’s Bend near Cincinnati, Ohio, where Jeeno started strong with a birdie and an eagle on the front nine but just couldn’t keep pace coming in.
“It has been pretty surreal,” Ko said of the last two months, which saw her complete her collection of Olympic medals—and secure her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame—with her Olympic triumph in Paris. She followed that with her first major title in eight years at the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews. “After having three weeks off, (I was) not entirely sure what it was going to be like,” she said. “To have a round like this to cap off a win is pretty special.”
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Ko drained a 15-foot birdie putt at the 10th to pull level with Jeeno and made another 15-footer for eagle at the 11th to take a two-shot lead as the Thai player was unable to capitalize on the par-five. Jeeno pulled back a stroke with a long birdie at the par-three 12th, but there was another two-shot swing at the 13th, where Ko’s superb second shot left her an eight-footer for birdie as Jeeno missed the green on the way to a bogey. Ko got up and down for birdie at the 15th and punctuated the win with a birdie at the par-five 18th.
Jeeno carded a two-under par 70, but her pursuit of a fourth LPGA title—her first in an individual stroke play event since 2022—was further doomed by bogeys at the 15th and 17th. Her 18-under par total of 270 gave her solo second ahead of South Korean Ryu Hae-ran, who carded a five-under 67 for 271.
– Reconsidering her goals –
Former teen phenom Ko’s victory was her third LPGA title of 2024. She also won the Tournament of Champions to start the year. Her 22 titles are seven more than any other active LPGA player, and the 27-year-old said her resurgent season has her reconsidering her career goals. “It’s always been a goal of mine to do the career Grand Slam, but I just thought that would be so out there,” said Ko, who needs the US Open and Women’s PGA Championship to complete her collection of major titles. “But, you know, I feel like I’ve already been part of this fairytale, so why not?”
© 2024 AFP
