(Photo credit score: Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK by way of Imagn Images)
Jeeno Thitikul overcame a four-stroke deficit with 5 holes to play, then outlasted Minami Katsu in a five-hole playoff to win the LPGA Shanghai event on Sunday.
The world’s top-ranked golfer, Thitikul bested the in a single day chief within the playoff to develop into a six-time LPGA Tour winner and the primary two-time event winner of the season.
Thitikul, of Thailand, collected an eagle and 7 birdies to spotlight a spherical of 9-under-par 63 on Sunday to complete the event at 24-under 264. The 22-year-old rolled in birdie putts on holes Nos. 14-16 earlier than bouncing in an eagle on the seventeenth of Qizhong Garden Golf Club to attract even with Katsu, who shot a bogey-free 65 on Sunday.
Katsu narrowly missed birdie putts on two of her first 4 playoff holes earlier than Thitikul despatched an strategy that landed three toes away from the cup on the fifth playoff gap, contested on the par-4 18th. Thitikul tapped it in to pocket the first-prize purse of $330,000 and document her first win because the Mizuho Americas Open in May.
It additionally helped take a few of the sting away from her four-putt fiasco on the ultimate gap on the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati final month.
‘Definitely cried quite a bit. Not going lie, cried quite a bit,’ Thitikul mentioned. ‘… I simply saved (telling) myself — no matter is going on in dramatic occasions, not simply Cincinnati, however on this 12 months, I simply informed myself that I must earn it on my own.’
Thitikul’s a number of wins this season had been news to Katsu.
‘I did not find out about that, there have been no a number of winners this season. That was the primary time I heard about that,’ the Japanese golfer mentioned. ‘So a bit shocked about that. Also, it is very aggressive out right here and I really feel like there’s a probability for everybody. Everyone is grinding exhausting every day.’
Three-time main champion Minjee Lee of Australia birdied 4 of her remaining 5 holes to card a 68 on Sunday and end in third place at 19-under.
‘Jeeno had 9-under and Minami had 7-under so I felt like I received outplayed at this time, and I undoubtedly did,’ Lee mentioned. ‘It was form of cool to see on 17 simply the chip-in and clearly the putt getting into for eagle. So, yeah, no, I believe it was enjoyable to observe them. They’re so younger and simply beginning their — properly, I do not know in the event that they’re beginning their careers, however looks like I’ve been on the market for much longer than them.’
American Jenny Bae (69) tied for fourth place with Miyu Yamashita (67) of Japan and Somi Lee (69) of South Korea at 17-under.
Defending champion Ruoning Yin of China ended up in a tie for twenty sixth place after her remaining spherical of 68. She was making her first begin because the AIG Women’s Open in August.
–Field Level Media