Ko stumbles on final hole after bold challenge
WELLINGTON: Lydia Ko’s bold bid for victory at the Evian Championship fell painfully short on the final green yesterday.
The New Zealander surged into contention to win her third major title, only to miss out on a playoff when she missed a midlength putt for par on the 18th hole at EvianLesBains in France.
It capped a bittersweet tournament for the former world No 1, who has endured a testing year but played with aplomb at the tournament she won two years ago.
Finishing on 8under, following a closing 2under 69 yesterday, Ko’s late bogey meant she missed the playoff between Swede Anna Nordqvist and American Brittany Altomare.
Nordqvist won on the first hole as driving rain and hail struck the Evian Resort Golf Club.
It was the experienced Swede’s second major triumph. She also won the 2009 PGA Championship.
She was also the ninth different winner since Ko went back to back at the 2015 Evian Championship and 2016 ANA Inspiration.
Ko was level with Australian Katherine Kirk and Thai Moriya Jutanugarn, two players who were in front of the Kiwi when she began her third and final round in a share of fourth. The tournament had been shortened to 54 holes.
Birdies at the third and fourth holes were followed by bogeys at the seventh and 13th before the 20yearold launched her attack.
She nailed a long, curling birdie putt on the 14th hole before showing outstanding dis
tance and then touch with a stunning chipin for eagle at the 15th, joining Nordqvist, Altomare and Jutanugarn at the top of the leaderboard.
‘‘It was probably the shot of the year for me, the chipin on 15,’’ Ko said.
‘‘It was really cool to play here,
and I feel like the support was immense.
‘‘I played my heart out and I tried my best and that’s all I can do.’’
Ko provided further evidence she is rediscovering her best form after a miserable year by her lofty standards.
Last week she finished runnerup at an LPGA Tour event in Indianapolis and said the feeling of being in contention had given her confidence this week.
She had missed the cut at two of her three previous tournaments and had not finished better than 20th since midJune.
Fresh off her eighth topthree finish at a major, Ko will be the headline act at the next tour event, the New Zealand Women’s Open.
The tournament, teeing off on September 28 near Ardmore, will be New Zealand’s maiden LPGA event.
Two weeks after a late meltdown, Marc Leishman avoided a repeat performance as he staved off a challenge from Justin Rose to win the BMW Championship by five strokes outside Chicago yesterday.
The Australian’s dominant win at Conway Farms in Lake Forest shot him to fourth in the FedExCup standings before the Tour Championship finale, behind leader Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson.
Leishman began the final round with a fiveshot lead and was seven strokes in front of Englishman Rose, who twice cut the margin to two shots on the back nine.
He carded 67 to finish at 23underpar 261, a tournament record, for his third victory on the PGA Tour at the age of 33.
American Rickie Fowler rallied late to shoot 67 and tie Rose (65) for second place on 18under. — NZN/Reuters