With history on the line, Lydia Ko stuck her Pro V1x golf ball to six feet on the Old Course’s 18th green, setting up the birdie that would clinch her first AIG Women’s Open, third major championship and 21st career LPGA title.
Ko, who started the day three shots back of the lead, posted a back-nine 34 Sunday for a closing 3-under 69, hitting 15 of 18 greens in regulation. She finished the week at 7 under to complete the comeback victory, the fifth straightwin for Titleist golf ball players on the LPGA Tour.
Over four days at a cold, wet and windy Old Couse, Ko hit 75 percent of fairways (48/64) and 81 percent greens in regulation (58/72). She finished T1 in bogey avoidance, surrendering just six over the four rounds and only one on Sunday.
Perhaps the shot of the week came on the 17th hole. The 27-year-old was tied for the lead at 6 under playing the famous Road Hole in some of the worst weather of the day. Faced with an intimidating approach from the fairway, Ko hit her approach low, running her Pro V1x up around the Road Hole bunker and onto the green. The shot set up a stress-free par, preserving Ko’s momentum as she headed to the 18th tee.
“For both Alexa [Pano] and I to have parred that hole in those conditions, that was probably one of the best shots I’ve hit…honestly it was so windy and rainy, I saw that the ball was heading towards the pin, but I had no idea that it was on that second tier,” said Ko. “The back was completely out of play because I couldn’t reach it. So it’s nice to just be able to make an aggressive swing at it, but yeah, that’s probably one of the best, you know, punch shots or shots I’ve hit coming down the stretch.”
Two weeks ago in Paris, Ko also made a 72nd-hole birdie to make history, earning the final point she needed for qualification into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
KO ON HER TITLEIST GOLF BALL
– “I’ve used the Titleist ball for a really long time and I can speak from my experience that every time I’ve tried something new I’ve been able to see a difference, and I just love how it is the #1 golf ball. It’s not just an advertisement. It is something that I believe and something that I really trust. The golf ball is such a crucial part of the equipment standpoint and in the game.”
AIG WOMEN’S OPEN CHAMP WINS WITH VOKEY WEDGES, SCOTTY CAMERON PUTTER
The champion this week at St Andrews won with four Vokey wedges (Vokey Design SM10 46.10F (@44), 48.10F (@49), 54.10S, 58.08M wedges) and a Scotty Cameron P5 GSS tour prototype putter (center shaft), which she used to drain her birdie putt on the 72nd hole to cap off her victory. The champion also finished T5 in total putts (124).
Five of the top six finishers on the final leaderboard played a Vokey wedge:
1. AIG Women’s Open champion: Vokey Design SM10 46.10F (@44), 48.10F (@49), 54.10S, 58.08M wedges
T2. World No. 1: Vokey Design SM9 WedgeWorks 58T wedge
T2. 2023 Women’s Open champion: Vokey Design SM9 56.10S, 60.08M wedges
T2. 2008, 2012 Women’s Open champion:Vokey Design SM10 50, 54, 60 wedges
6. 2016 Women’s Open champion:Vokey Design SM9 50.12F, 56.14F, 60.04L
ANWA CHAMP EARNS LOW AMATEUR HONORS
The champion of this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur shot rounds of 72-70-72-73 to earn low amateur honors at the Old Course. She capped off her week with a birdie on the 72nd hole to finish inside the top 10 at 1 under.
WITB | Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion: Titleist Pro V1 golf ball; TSR3 9.0 driver; TRS2 15.0 fairway; TSR2 19.0, 21.0 hybrids; T150 5-P irons; Vokey Design SM10 50.08F, 54.10S, WedgeWorks 58.06K wedges
DP WORLD TOUR | Danish Golf Championship
Frederick Lacroix (Pro V1) turned a four-shot deficit to begin Sunday’s final round into a four-shot win by day’s end, earning his first DP World Tour title. Nobody went lower over the weekend than Lacroix, who followed up a Saturday 67 with a bogey-free 65 to reach his 14-under total. The 29-year-old graduated from the Challenge Tour last season, and he now moves to No. 11 in the Race to Dubai rankings.
For the week, Lacroix ranked second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+10.16). Over three of those shots came from around the green (+3.24, 6th) and four came from approach play (+4.00, 11th).
