Lydia Ko finally claimed victory at the LPGA’s HSBC Women’s World Championship, securing her first win at the event after 11 attempts. She triumphed with a commanding four-stroke lead over Ayaka Furue and Jeeno Thitikul in the final round on Sunday.
The 2024 Olympic gold medalist and Women’s British Open champion started off slow but quickly found her rhythm with a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole. She followed that with back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth holes, taking control of the leaderboard.
Despite two bogeys on the back nine, the world No. 3 finished strong with a 69, ending the tournament with a 13-under-par total of 275 at Sentosa Golf Club.
“I dreamt last night that I won, but then I woke up, and I was like, dang, it’s not real yet,” said Ko, who secured her 23rd LPGA title and her first victory since the Kroger Queen City Championship last September. “But I just wanted to focus on my game.”
“I started off really steady and didn’t get into too much trouble, which I felt was key for today,” Ko said.
Her best finish at the event before was a second-place finish in 2015.
“It’s exciting to finally add Asia’s major to my collection of majors,” the New Zealander shared.
World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul made a strong effort to catch Lydia Ko, but fell just short in the final round.
Thitikul shot a 70, finishing at nine under, which placed her in a tie for second with Japan’s Ayaka Furue, who closed with a 68. The Thai star made an early push, picking up two birdies in the first four holes to pull within a stroke of Ko at 9-under, but was unable to maintain the pressure.
Charley Hull, who started the final round just one shot behind Ko, saw her title hopes slip away after a frustrating 74. She ended up tied for fourth at seven under, alongside Im Jin Hee, who fired the best round of the day with a 67, and Gaby Lopez (70).
This Singapore tournament is the second of three events in the LPGA’s first Asian swing of the year, with the final event set to take place next week in Hainan Island, China.
