Lydia Ko advances to final round for third LPGA win of the year

Nelly Korda should have the LPGA Player of the Year race wrapped up, but Lydia Ko is making things interesting.

Making her first start since claiming her third career major title – and first in eight years – at the AIG Women’s Open last monthKo entered the final round at the Kroger Queen City Championship, two shots behind Jeeno Thitikul.

She finished Sunday seven shots off the 54-hole lead.

Ko shot a final-round nine-under 63 at TPC River’s Bend to win the Kroger Queen City Championship at 23 under by five shots for her third LPGA win of the year. When you add her historic Olympic victory, which gave her The last point she needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame at just 27 years old, this makes it three straight wins for Ko.

The win marks her 22nd career win on the LPGA as well.

“It was very surreal. You know, I had the most incredible three weeks in Europe, and after three more weeks off, you’re not quite sure how it’s going to be,” Ko said. “I started this event really strong, playing well in the days money. I hung in there yesterday and said I know Jeeno and a lot of other girls aren’t going to play bad golf so I just tried to play better golf.

“To have a round like that to cap off a win is pretty special.”

It’s been a stretch of some of the best golf of Ko’s career over the past month, as she came so close to earning her final Hall of Fame qualifying spot in January. Ko won the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions to leave him one point away from induction into one of the sport’s toughest Halls of Fame.

This was after a strange season in 2023, when she failed to record a win and did not even qualify to defend her title at the CME Group Tour Championship.

Then, she looked destined to earn the final point in her next start at the LPGA Drive On Championship. But Nelly Korda had other plans and finished like an eagle to force a playoff that would win and start it. five-game winning streak.

Ko struggled again after that, recording just one top-10 and missing two cuts before a T8 in Canada in late July. Then the calendar flipped to August and she got it again.

“I struggled a lot in the middle of the season and I was in a place where well am I really going to be in the Hall of Fame and all these doubts,” Ko said. “I’ve had a fairy tale of those last couple of months and now I feel like if I put my mind to it, maybe I can do it.”

On Sunday, Ko was still two behind when Thitkul bogeyed the par-5 8th, but after that, the final round was all Kiwi.

Over the final nine holes, Ko made four birdies and an eagle of her own to come home in a scorching back-nine 30 and shoot the rest of the field. Along the same stretch, Thitikul’s momentum stalled as she bogeyed the 9th hole and followed up birdies on 12 and 14 with bogeys.

Ko has said that he wants to retire at the age of 30and the rumblings of her doing just that have gotten louder now that she’s earned her place in the Hall of Fame. But she reiterated Sunday that she still has one LPGA feat left, and this victory will only add fuel to the fire.

“I think it’s always been my goal to do the Grand Slam of my career,” she said. “I feel like I’ve already been a part of this fairy tale, so why not?”

Jack Hirsch

Editor of Golf.com

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A native of Pennsylvania, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also *tries* to remain competitive in the local amateurs. Prior to joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a television station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a multimedia journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.