Ko fades but holds on to No 1 ranking

Lydia Ko will continue her 83-week run as World No 1, despite an error-ridden finish to the LPGA’S Kingsmill Championship in Virginia yesterday.

The Kiwi 20-year-old finished tied for 10th, 13 shots back from American winner Lexi Thompson.

Ko produced a poor final round twoover par 73 to finish seven under for the tournament. She recorded four birdies, four bogeys and one double bogey in her final round, having started the day tied for third.

Ko could be overtaken in the coming weeks as she is set to miss the tour’s next two events in Michigan (LPGA Volvik Championship) and New Jersey (Shoprite LPGA Classic) to work on her game.

Thompson earned her first win of the year, shooting a six-under-par 65 to complete a wire-to-wire victory. In carding her third 65 of the tournament, Thompson breezed to a five-shot victory over Chun In-gee of South Korea, finishing at 20-under 264 - a tournament record.

Thompson was playing in her third event since her stunning defeat at the ANA Inspiration, when she was hit with a four-shot penalty during the final round and eventually lost in a playoff in the year’s first major.

The 22-year-old American never gave her opponents an opening yesterday.

Starting her round three shots ahead of the field, Thompson recorded six birdies in her bogey-free round, including a pair at the first and third holes to consolidate her lead.

Thompson, ranked fifth in the world rankings, notched her first victory on the LPGA Tour since the 2016 Honda LPGA Thailand.