Lydia Ko birdied the final hole to finish with a 3-under-par 69 and win the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course at St Andrews on Sunday.
Ko, who won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, finished with a 7-under 281 at the historic course in Fife, Scotland.
It was her first win in a major since the 2016 ANA Inspiration. On the back nine, the New Zealander fought off rain, wind and a who’s who of women’s stars to capture her third major and 21st career LPGA victory.
“It’s been a crazy past few weeks,” Ko said. “You know, something that was too good to be true happened and I honestly didn’t think it could be any better, and here I am as the AIG Women’s Open champion this week. Obviously that being here at the Old Course at St Andrews, it makes it so much more special.”
Ko entered the final day three shots back of third-round leader Jiyai Shin, a two-time Women’s Open champion. And the South Korean was in position for a potential win until a trio of bogeys on the back nine led to a 74 and a 5-under finish.
Shin was one of four women tied for second, with China’s Ruoning Yin, Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu — each of them former major winners who have been ranked No. 1 in the world.
Ko made three birdies through 14 holes before taking her only bogey of the day at No. 15. At the famed par-4 17th, the “Road Hole,” she stuffed her second shot to 20 feet of the cup to set up a crucial two-putt par.
“On 15, I thinned my 3-wood into the green and hit into the bunker,” Ko said. “So my biggest goal (at 17) is to make solid contact. And honestly it was so windy and rainy, I saw that the ball was heading towards the pin but I had no idea that it was on that second tier (of the green).
“… that’s probably one of the best, you know, punch shots or shots I’ve hit coming down the stretch.”
Ko then stuck her wedge shot at No. 18 close and sank the all-important, left-to-right birdie putt.
At that point, the only player with a chance to tie Ko was Vu, who stood 6 under as she hit her tee shot on No. 18. Her drive left her 32 yards to the pin, but her chip shot was off target, giving her a 20-foot putt for a birdie.
Her effort was about a foot short, giving Ko the win. Vu missed the short par putt, leading to a bogey, a round of 73 and a spot in the second-place tie.
Winning Olympic gold earned Ko the final point necessary to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. Now with three major championships in tow, it’s all but certain Ko will be inducted someday.
“I don’t think there’s a word in the dictionary that can explain what just happened,” Ko said.
“But somebody put it into perspective before I won the gold, they said, try to think of like getting into the Hall of Fame as like a gas station on the way to my final destination and not like my final destination. I think for a while, that was my goal. I was making it seem like, OK, that was my end point, and I think after hearing that, that put it into perspective of saying, you know, it’s not like I’m going to get in the Hall of Fame and say, ‘Bye-bye, golf.’
“I’m still planning to play. I think that just make it easier to say, you know, if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen, and I’m also going to focus on what’s in front of me. I think this past three weeks was kind of like a representation of that scale.”
Current No. 1 Korda has won six tournaments this season, including the Chevron Championship (the major formerly called the ANA Inspiration).
After a disappointing 75 on Saturday following a pair of 68s, Korda found her stroke, firing 3 under through the first 10 holes to take the lead at 8 under. But a double bogey at the par-5 14th led to a four-way tie at 6 under with Ko, Shin and Lilia Vu, and Korda never recovered.
After a bogey at No. 17, Korda finished at 72 for the day and 5 under for the tournament.
“Overall, I think I putted really well this week. I hit the ball really well with the conditions,” Korda said. “It will be interesting to see when I don’t play in 30-, 40-mile-an-hour winds what my ball flight is going to be like, finally seeing it go straight.”
Korda also stumbled on the back nine in Saturday’s third round, with three bogeys and a double bogey.
“Listen, it’s golf. I’m going to mess up and unfortunately I messed up over the weekend twice in two penalizing ways coming down the stretch,” she said. “Theoretically that’s what kind of cost me the tournament, but I played well. I played solid. I even fought after that. I’m going to take that into the next coming events.”
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn shot a 70 and finished alone in sixth at 3 under.
–Field Level Media
