Golf: Lydia Ko surges to 30th professional victory at Kroger Queen ...
By Cameron McMillan
Deputy Head of Sport·NZ Herald·
22 Sep, 2024 10:33 PM4 mins to read
Since becoming an Olympic champion, everything Lydia Ko touches turns to gold.
The Kiwi surged to a 30th professional victory and her second straight title with a five-shot win at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Ohio this morning.
Starting the day two shots back from Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, Ko carded the low round of the week with a nine-under 63 finishing at 23 under.
It’s her 30th professional win and third of 2024 on the LPGA Tour and sees Ko take home US$300,000 ($480,810), moving her career earnings to US$19.5m ($31.3m).
Ko had a three-week break leading into this tournament after winning the AIG Women’s Open, which came on the back of Olympic gold in Paris. The time away from golf only seemed to help her game as she carded all four rounds in the 60s at TPC River’s Bend, saving her best for the final day.
It was Lydia Ko of old, which is strange to say about a 27-year-old. But it harked back to her 2015-16 seasons when she got within a sniff of the lead and seemed a dead cert to chase it down.
“It’s been pretty surreal. I had the most unbelievable three weeks in the UK and Europe. After having another three weeks off before here, [I] was not entirely sure what it was going to be like. I started off this event really strong, playing well the first couple of days. I hung in there yesterday. I knew Jeeno and a lot of the other girls weren’t going to play bad golf, so I just had to try and play even better golf. To have a round like this to cap off a win is pretty special.”
She dominated the par fives all week and that continued today, picking up five shots with three birdies and an eagle. Controlled shots in windy conditions on the back nine, which was also key part of her St Andrews win, helped Ko grab the lead and run clear of the field.
The 27-year-old birdied the opening hole followed by two more birdies at the par five sixth and eighth to move within a shot of Thitikul. Ko then jumped into the lead and never looked back, with a birdie at the 10th followed by a brilliant eagle at the par five 11th.
Thitikul made two long-distance birdie putts to keep the pressure on Ko, briefly reducing the lead to one shot before the New Zealander birdied the 13th and the 15th to remain in charge.
Thitikul couldn’t stay with Ko, with three bogeys and two birdies on the final stretch. With a five-shot lead on the 72nd hole, Ko found the middle of the fairway and then reached the green in two. A long-distance eagle attempt just fell short, leaving her an easy birdie putt to card a stunning 63.
Thitikul finished in second at 18 under. World No1 Nelly Korda, coming off a Solheim Cup victory with USA, was tied for fifth and still sits well ahead of Ko in the season standings with six wins to her name this year.
Today’s performance only adds to Ko’s Hall of Fame career, a spot she thought was in doubt only a few months ago before securing her place in Paris when she completed the Olympic medal set with gold.
“The things I didn’t believe in happened the last couple of months. I struggled a lot during the middle of the season and I was in a place thinking ‘am I really going to be in the Hall of Fame’? And all of those doubts. I had a fairytale these past couple of months and I thought ‘if I set my mind to it, maybe I can do it’.”
Asked about what is left for her to achieve, Ko said she was looking at a realistic goal of completing a career slam of majors. To do that she needs to win either the US Open or the Women’s PGA Championship.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to do the career grand slam, but I just thought that would be so out there. But I feel I’ve been part of this fairytale so why not?”
