(Image credit: Getty Images)
LYDIA Ko reclaimed her position as the queen of world golf today when she led throughout the final round to win her first HSBC Women’s World Championship at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club.
Ko, the New Zealander who was elevated into golf’s Hall of Fame last year after winning gold at the Paris Olympics, shot rounds of 71, 67, 68 and 69 at her 11th attempt to win an event she describes as one of her favourites.
She won by three strokes from Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikal (71, 72, 66, 70) and Japan’s Ayaka Furue (71, 69, 71, 68).
After a steady start that delivered five pars in five holes, she put her foot down, grabbing birdies on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes to set up a four-stroke lead.
A missed 1.5m putt for par on the 11th gave the chasing pack a glimmer of hope, but another birdie on 13, followed by a spectacular 15m putt for birdie on the par-three 15th gave her an insurmountable lead.
She could even afford to bogey the tough par-three 17th before finishing the tournament with a par on the last after finding the greenside bunker.
“I dreamed last night that I won, but then I woke up, and I was like, dang, it’s not real yet,” Ko said. “I started off really steady and, you know, didn’t really put myself in trouble that much. I think that was going to be the key for today.
“To win here in Singapore and get all the love, not only this year, but for the years that I’ve come, it means a lot. It’s exciting to add Asia’s ‘major’ to my major collection.”
Playing with the poise of a confident champion, Ko glided around the scenic Tanjong course – one of two world-class courses that make up the superb Sentosa golf facility on the banks of Singapore harbour – in seemingly casual fashion.
She showed all the skill and guile that was on display throughout 2024, when Ko won four events, including three on the LPGA Tour, including the Women’s British Open at St Andrews, her third major. Today’s win was her 23rd on tour, and her career earnings are now $20,595,105.
Ko described last year’s efforts as equal to anything she’d done in the past, and said how proud she’d been recovering from a poor 2023 season, which had her thinking she might never win another tournament.
She went into the Women’s World Championship ranked third in the world, and may climb higher after today’s win. But, wherever she sits, Ko’s opponents will recognise her as being perhaps the best player in the world right now, and the one to beat in any event.
Thitikal, the pre-tournament favourite, made no mistakes, scored no bogeys and played well, but could make no impression on the champion’s lead. It was the young Thai’s 10th successive top-10 finish, and she continues to impress as one of the game’s best players.
“It’s more than I expected to be honest,” she said. “I knew after the second round, I was frustrated a little bit how I was playing. But finishing tied second – that’s really, really nice.
Furue made a last-round charge, notching birdies on the sixth, eighth, 13th, 15th and 16th holes to climb into second place, but stumbled at the par three 17th, taking bogey.
“I’ve been struggling with the back nine the last three days,” Furue said. “I was happy to have back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 today.
Thitikal and Furue were two strokes ahead of a gaggle of players on seven-under-par – Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (70, 73, 68, 70), Korea’s Jin Hee-im (72, 74, 68, 67), who owned the best round of the day, and England’s Charley Hull (69, 70, 68, 74).
Australia’s challenge faded when Minjee Lee took a double bogey seven on the par-five fifth hole, and disappeared completely when she followed up with a triple-bogey seven on the 12th, her troubles the result of a hooked drive that found thick rough.
Apart from those two horrors, the Western Australian played quite well, collecting birdies at six, eight, 11 and 18 for a one-over-par 73, and a four-round total of four-under.
Defending champion Hannah Green bogeyed the first hole and couldn’t get anything going, signing for a one-under-par 71 that left her tied for seventh place on six-under.
“I feel like I’m exhausted just from playing one week,” she said. “Obviously it’s always a big week defending but also in this climate it makes it a little bit more difficult. But I was grateful that I had some friends and a lot of support out there.
“Today I didn’t wake up feeling that great. So I did well to shoot under par. I definitely made the most out of my round. The putter was still really hot today. Happy to defend the title, and hopefully bring this form back to the States.”
The other Australians – Steph Kyriacou (82, 71, 70, 72), Gabi Ruffels (80, 71, 76, 75) and Grace Kim (78, 77, 72, 76) – finished near the tail of the 66-strong field.
Inside Golf was a media partner for the HSBC Women’s World Championship, an event regarded as Asia’s ‘major’ on the LPGA Tour.
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