South Korea’s Kim Hyo- joo rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at the initial playoff opening to win the LPGA Ford Championship on Sunday in advance of American Lilia Vu.
Kim had 9 birdies in her eight-under-par 64, the most affordable round of the day at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, taking her to a 22-under total amount of 266.
Overnight leader Vu carded a four-under-par 68, however when they went back to the par-four 18th for the playoff Kim placed her technique 6 feet from the pin while Vu left herself greater than 15 feet.
The American’s putt lost and Kim sank hers to assert her 7th LPGA success, and her initial considering that 2023.
“So it’s been a while since I had any wins so I was getting a little bit stressed,” the 29-year-old Kim confessed.
“But I did work out a lot during the winter time so now that I have a win I’m a little bit lighthearted.”
“The feeling was great today,” claimed Kim, that required simply 24 putts. “I just thought one birdie at a time.”
Having began the day 4 shots off Vu’s lead, Kim had 7 birdies in the initial 11 openings to confiscate the solo lead on 21-under.
However, she discovered the water off the tee at 12 heading to a bogey, missing out on a brief the same level conserve effort.
Kim after that drained pipes a birdie putt from off the environment-friendly at 16 and included one more birdie at 17 to land in the club with a one-stroke lead.
But Vu rose and down for birdie from a greenside shelter at the 17th, blowing up out of the sand to regarding a foot.
Vu, that had actually withstood a long haul for the environment-friendly to remove at 17 had one more strained hold-up on the 18th tee as Nanna Koerstz Madsen looked for her round in the desert scrub.
– No nerves –
Vu’s 2nd shot bounded via the environment-friendly however the two-time significant victor and previous globe top cracked to regarding 6 feet and holed the par putt to compel a playoff.
Kim had actually been waiting and enjoying as Vu completed her round.
“I kept on thinking we might go on a playoff, so I kept stretching,” she claimed. “I thought I would be very nervous, but I really wasn’t.”
Vu, that missed out on 3 months in 2014 with a back injury that still difficulties her, was pleased with her week, regardless of the playoff frustration.
“I’m proud that I kind of stuck to my goal, my weekly goal. The only goal is to be in tune with my body,” she claimed.
“This is probably the most I’ve felt like me in the past year and a half.”
American Allisen Corpuz, the 2023 United States Women’s Open champ, drive herself right into opinion with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 however needed to choose 3rd on 267.
World second Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand remained in the quest, sharing the lead after her 6th birdie of the day on 13.
But the birdies ran out and her six-under 66 left her alone in 4th on 268.
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