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ORLANDO, Fla. — It took solely 4 rounds for Lydia Ko to place a dismal 2023 LPGA Tour season fully behind her.
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Ko rediscovered her profitable contact Sunday within the season-opening Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions, closing with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Alexa Pano at Lake Nona.
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Ko, who completed at 14-under 274, gained for the twentieth time on the LPGA Tour. The 26-year-old from New Zealand grew to become the seventh lady to win 20 LPGA titles earlier than turning 27.
“The win is clearly nice,” Ko stated. “I wasn’t positive if I used to be going to be again within the winner’s circle, and to be again to the primary match of the season, it’s fairly cool and a lot quicker than I might have ever anticipated.”
Canada’s Brooke Henderson, the match’s defending champion, made a powerful Sunday run (68) with new irons within the bag to complete solo third. Cheyenne Knight (69), Ally Ewing (72) and Japan’s Ayaka Furue (71) tied for fourth at 8 underneath.
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Ko was winless in 20 LPGA begins a 12 months in the past, and she or he now can resume her quest for entry into the unique LPGA Corridor of Fame. Ko wants 27 factors to get there, and the triumph Sunday put her only one level away. Every common LPGA win is price one level.
She might get there as early as this coming week, on the LPGA Drive On Championship, performed simply two hours from her house, in Bradenton.
Sunday’s closing margin was two photographs, however Ko remained in management all through the ultimate spherical, performed amid unseasonably cool temperatures that dipped into the 40s. Ko, bogey-free in her second and third rounds, birdied 4 of her first 15 holes Sunday in opposition to a single bogey to depart her pursuers battling for second many of the day.
She stretched her result in 5 photographs early on the ultimate 9. The one anxious second arrived on the reachable par-5 fifteenth, the place Ko tugged her second shot left, towards a hazard. The ball completed in some gnarly tough wanting the water and Ko, who displayed a top-notch brief sport all week, promptly pitched her third shot to three ft to arrange the fourth birdie of her spherical.
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Ko gained the unofficial mixed-team Grant Thornton Invitational alongside Australian Jason Day late in 2023, which boosted her confidence. She stated profitable individually at Lake Nona supplies a reduction after enduring such a tough 12 months in 2023.
What did she be taught in a troublesome season? “I cry quite a bit,” Ko stated.
On Sunday, there have been no tears. Successful in opposition to a restricted subject of champions from the final two seasons appeared as if it was anticipated. Enterprise as traditional.
“I’m taking part in in opposition to the most effective feminine golfers week-in and week-out,” she stated, “and you realize that your ‘B’ sport will not be going to chop it. Folks suppose golf is straightforward. It’s not.”
With a chilly, regular breeze blowing and the ball not flying as far it had been earlier within the week, scoring within the closing spherical was troublesome. Solely three gamers among the many 34 LPGA finishers (Jody Ewart-Shadoff withdrew Sunday) managed rounds beneath 70. The low spherical was 68, and Ko was nice making pars.
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She would bogey the ultimate gap (the place she hit a uncommon poor chip), however nonetheless gained with ease.
Pano, who started the day two photographs behind, summoned a late cost to make issues attention-grabbing, with birdies at three of the ultimate 5 holes as she matched Ko’s spherical of 70. Pano is barely 19 years previous, and her end marked her second profession high 10, including to a victory in Northern Eire late final 12 months.
Ko’s 20 victories put her one behind Inbee Park (maternity depart) amongst energetic gamers. She joins Laura Davies and Cristie Kerr on the profession record.
Ko, who’s a Lake Nona resident, didn’t play properly, didn’t rating properly, and left the golf course in tears on a couple of event a 12 months in the past. Juli Inkster at one level pulled Ko apart and informed her simply to deal with making an attempt to complete off under-par rounds. Sunday marked the primary time all week Ko was not within the 60s, and she or he bettered par in all 4 rounds.
DIVOTS: New York Mets infielder Jeff McNeal gained the match’s Movie star Division, which utilized a Modified Stableford factors format. He completed with 138 factors, two higher than Annika Sorenstam, the LPGA Corridor of Famer who got here up shy as soon as extra on her house course. McNeal, who grew up taking part in highschool golf, not baseball, carries the nickname of “Flying Squirrel,” and he gained on Nationwide Squirrel Appreciation Day. … Hilton Grand Holidays has prolonged its sponsorship of the Match of Champions for 5 extra years.
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