Lydia Ko continued her impressive run of form thanks to a five-shot victory at the Kroger Queen City Championship.
The 27-year-old New Zealander found herself two shots behind Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul eight holes into the final round TPC River’s Bend but turned things around after the par-five 11th to find herself at the top of the leaderboard. Her lead was solidifed when Thitikul bogeyed the 13th and 15th and she went onto end the final round with a nine-under 63 to seal her third LPGA Tour victory of the year, 22nd win of her career, and collect the $300,000 prize.
This victory marks Ko’s third consecutive win, adding to her successes at the Paris Olympics in August—a triumph that secured her spot in the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame—and the AIG Women’s Open.
“It’s been pretty surreal,” Ko said. “You know, I had the most unbelievable three weeks in Europe, and after having another three weeks off you’re not entirely sure what it’s going to be like,” Ko said. “I started off this event really strong, playing well the first couple days. I kind of hung in there yesterday and I said I know that Jeeno and a lot of the other girls aren’t going to play bad golf, so I just got to try and play even better golf.
“To have a round like this to cap off a win is pretty special.”
South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran hit a final-round 67 to edge Japan’s Yuki Saso and finish in third while World No. 1 and Race to CME Globe leader Nelly Korda finished tied-fifth after a final-round 68.
What is the next event?
The next event on the LPGA Tour schedule is the Walmart NW Arkanses Championship presented by P&G taking place between 27-29 September at Pinnacle Country Club in Arkansas.