Thidapa third Thai to win on top ladies tour
Lincicome falls short in Classic play-off duel
SYLVANIA: Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura edged two-time major champion Brittany Lincicome in a play-off on Sunday to win her first LPGA title at the Marathon Classic in Ohio.
“It means a lot. Especially my parents in Thailand. They’re cheering for me. They’re staying up all night just to watch the score. I mean, yeah, everybody in Thailand, I think, are waiting for this to happen,” said Thidapa.
With the win, she who joins sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn as the only Thai champions on the LPGA Tour.
Thidapa thrust herself into title contention with an eagle-birdie finish at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, carding a final-round 65 for a 14-under-par total of 270.
She could only wait and watch for more than an hour as Lincicome and overnight leader Brooke Henderson of Canada tussled for the lead, Lincicome closing with a four-under-par 67 for 270 as Henderson settled for a 69 that left her in third place on 271.
“I did not think or expect that 14 [under] would be good enough, because I know there were two par-fives coming in on 17 and 18, and it’s a good opportunity for them to make birdie,” said Thidapa who took home US$240,000 [approximately eight million baht] in prize money.
“I was just chilling in the clubhouse, being silly and stuff, trying to relax, just watching the Golf Channel and see what they’re doing.”
Suddenly, Thidapa said, she realised “Oh, I have to go warm up and try to win the tournament!”
The 25-year-old, who chipped in for eagle at the par-five 17th then birdied the par-five 18th in regulation, put her tee shot at the first play-off hole — the 18th — in the fairway as Lincicome found a fairway bunker.
Lincicome then blasted into the water hazard, as Thidapa put her third shot five feet from the pin.
Lincicome kept the pressure on as best she could, rolling in a six-foot putt to save par, but Thidapa calmly made her birdie putt for a long-awaited first victory.
“I never expected it was going to be today at all,” said Thidapa, a Ladies European Tour winner who had only two prior top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour.
“I’ve been struggling the whole year, trying to keep my tour card, trying my best. And finally all my work I’ve been doing has come out and shown today.”
With the win, Thidapa earned one of five places on offer in the Women’s British Open, three years after she feared back surgery would end her golf career.
Although it took 120 LPGA Tour starts, the victory was worth the wait.
In 2015, Thidapa almost had to give up the game entirely after having an aggressive surgery on her back.
A piece of her back was broken, so a surgery had to be performed on her spine. She was unsure if she could even play golf again, let alone contend for a title alongside the best golfers in the world.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to play golf again because it’s a big surgery and it’s really dangerous. And I was thinking, ‘Oh, what should I do if I don’t play golf?’ But after that I came back, practiced, and tried to play golf again,” said Thidapa who has earned $312,546 this season and $927,954 for her career.
“I had a medical year, and just kept working hard, and now I’m grateful to be out here.”
With Thidapa in the clubhouse on 14-under, neither Lincicome nor Henderson could take advantage of the par-five 17th and 18th — Lincicome’s attempt to win it with a birdie at the 72nd hole circling inside the rim of the cup and popping out.