Lydia Ko picked up proper the place she left off on the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship.
Dylan Buell/Getty Pictures
Nelly Korda ought to have the LPGA’s Participant of the Yr race locked up, however Lydia Ko is making issues fascinating.
Making her first begin since selecting up her third profession main title — and first in eight years — on the AIG Ladies’s Open final month, Ko entered the ultimate spherical on the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship two photographs behind Jeeno Thitikul.
She ended Sunday having picked up seven photographs on the 54-hole chief.
Ko fired a final-round nine-under 63 at TPC River’s Bend to win the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship at 23 underneath by 5 photographs for her third LPGA victory of the 12 months. While you add in her historic Olympic win, which earned her the final level she wanted to qualify for the LPGA Corridor of Fame at simply 27 years outdated, that makes it three-straight victories for Ko.
The win marks her twenty second profession victory on the LPGA as nicely.
“It’s been fairly surreal. , I had essentially the most unbelievable three weeks in Europe, and after having one other three weeks off you’re not fully positive what it’s going to be like,” Ko stated. “I began off this occasion actually sturdy, enjoying nicely the primary couple days. I sort of hung in there yesterday and I stated I do know that Jeeno and lots of the opposite women aren’t going to play dangerous golf, so I simply acquired to attempt to play even higher golf.
“To have a spherical like this to cap off a win is fairly particular.”
It’s been a stretch of a few of the best golf of Ko’s profession over the previous month after she got here oh so near incomes her remaining Corridor of Fame qualifying level again in January. Ko gained the season-opening Hilton Grand Holidays Event of Champions to place her some extent away from gaining entrance to considered one of sports activities’ most troublesome Halls of Fame.
That was after a weird season in 2023 when she didn’t file a win and didn’t even qualify to defend her title on the CME Group Tour Championship.
Lydia Ko’s stirring Open win was a reminder: She’s not finished simply but
Then she appeared destined to earn the ultimate level in her subsequent begin on the LPGA Drive On Championship. However Nelly Korda had different plans and completed eagle-birdie to drive a playoff she would win and jump-start her run of five-consecutive victories.
Ko struggled once more after that, recording only one top-10 and lacking two cuts earlier than a T8 in Canada in late July. Then the calendar flipped to August and he or she took over once more.
“I struggled lots in the course of the center of the season, and I used to be in a spot the place okay am I actually going to be within the Corridor of Fame and all of these doubts,” Ko stated. “I had a fairytale of these previous couple months and now I really feel like if I set my thoughts to it, perhaps I can do it.”
On Sunday, Ko was nonetheless two behind when Thitkul eagled the par-5 eighth, however after that, the ultimate spherical was all of the Kiwi’s.
Over the ultimate 9 holes, Ko made 4 birdies and an eagle of her personal to come back house in a scorching back-nine 30 and lap the remainder of the sector. Over the identical stretch, Thitikul’s momentum stalled as she bogeyed the ninth gap and adopted birdies at 12 and 14 with bogeys.
Ko has stated she desires to retire at 30, and rumblings of her doing simply which have solely grown louder now that she has earned her place within the Corridor of Fame. However she reiterated Sunday, she nonetheless has an accomplishment left on the LPGA and this win will solely add gas to her hearth.
“I feel it’s at all times been the objective of mine to do the profession grand slam,” she stated. “I really feel like I’ve already been a part of this fairytale, so why not?”
