Ariya wins LPGA Tour playoff at Kingsmill

WILLIAMSBURG: Ariya Jutanugarn arrived at Kingsmill Championship with no expectations, and it was a strategy that paid off handsomely.

The 22yearold Thai star birdied the second hole of a playoff on Sunday to win the LPGA Tour event for the second time in three years.

“I’m going to say I didn’t expect anything this week because I think I have been playing ... very good like the last few tournaments and I’m still not winning the tournaments,” she said.

“So show up this week, I just tell myself I’m not going to expect anything. I’m going to really focus on the things under my control and make sure I’m going to have good commitment every shot.”

“When I’m thinking about winning, I never win,” Ariya said. She became the 12th winner in as many events on the Tour this season.

Ariya closed with a fiveunder 66 to match Nasa Hataoka (67) and Chun Ingee (68) at 14under 199.

Ariya and Hataoka both birdied the first extra hole, with Ingee dropping out. The 19yearold Hataoka putted first on the second extra hole and missed badly from just off the back of the 18th green before Ariya rolled in a 15footer for her eighth career victory.

“I couldn’t believe I played in a playoff in such an early stage in my career,” Hataoka said.

“I’m just going to try to keep going for the rest of the year.”

Ariya’s older sister, Moriya, won the HUGELJTBC Championship in Los Angeles in April for her first LPGA Tour victory.

Ariya started the day two shots behind Ingee and used a stretch of five birdies in six holes to build a twoshot lead before making bogey at the parfive 15th, one of the easiest holes on the course.

“After that I got a little bit mad, but my caddie just told me ... we can’t go back and change anything,” she said.

“All we can do is just what we have now. Try to hit a good shot.”

Hataoka, playing with Ingee in the final threesome, birdied No. 15 to join Ariya at 14under, and Ingee made a long birdie putt on the parthree 17th to also get to 14under.

It was the eighth top10 finish of the season for Ariya, the only player on the women’s Tour to have made the cut in every event she’s played.

It was the fourth playoff in the history of the tournament.

The tournament was cut from 72 holes to 54 when rain washed out play on Saturday.

Brooke Henderson closed with a 65 to finish a shot back. Megan Khang was fifth after her third straight 67.

“I was in the groove and I felt like I could make birdies and I could make a charge, so I was really happy I was able to do that,” Henderson said.