Ko breaks drought
SAN FRANCISCO: New Zealand star Lydia Ko is back in the winner’s circle, nearly two years after her previous victory on the LPGA tour.
The sports world was left hailing the potential rebirth of a golf superstar after her surprise firsthole playoff win over Australian Minjee Lee in San Francisco yesterday.
Ko was tearful in victory after an eagle on the playoff hole after almost holing an albatross from more than 180m out: ‘‘I was trying to hit a good shot again and I didn’t know how close it was going to be. But just to have a twoandahalffooter [76cm] to possibly win the event is a pretty good feeling but nerveracking too . . . a lot of emotions’’.
The 21yearold New Zealander won the Mediheal Championship for the third time, restoring hope she can begin a climb back to the top of world golf.
Ko and Lee finished at 12under, sending them to a suddendeath playoff. But Ko’s controversial new swing produced a sensational playoff result from the fairway.
Lee outdrove Ko by 20m but Ko produced an extraordinary approach to within a metre of the flag, while the Australian fluffed hers.
A leaner Ko has faced continuous scrutiny over changes of coaches and caddies as she plummeted from being the world No 1 to 18th.
The Aucklander had gone 43 LPGA tournaments without a win but a long chipin on the 13th hole set her up for a 15th tournament victory. She had started the final round with a oneshot lead and prevailed in a battle with American Jessica Korda and Lee.
Ko’s previous victory was in Ohio, in July 2016, and there was little to suggest in recent weeks that she was about to hit winning form.
After her third round, Ko — a member of the Lake Merced club — said that a bit of luck and ‘‘members’ bounces’’ were helping her cause.
The pressure to find a victory hardly showed during the final holes yesterday — Ko skipped around in joy after the 15th hole with putter in hand.
Ko has won two majors and was world No 1 for two years in one of the LPGA’s longest reigns.
The extraordinary success she achieved so quickly tended to magnify her problems, but until yesterday there were no real signs that she had turned a corner.
Lee holed a bunker shot on the par3 17th for a birdie to keep the pressure on, joining Ko at 11under. Korda’s putting faltered though.
A horrible short putt on the 17th was a birdie chance lost for Ko. Lee birdied the 18th, leaving Ko one behind. Ko was millimetres away from chipping in on the 18th, completing a simple par putt to force the playoff.
Ko and her fans will hope that the victory was down to a lot more than an affinity with the Lake Merced course. — NZME