Lotte Championship

Lydia Ko Snaps Title Drought With Dominant Win

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Lydia Ko ended her three-year LPGA title drought in impressive style firing a final-round 65 to win the Lotte Championship by seven strokes. Former world number one Ko, a two-time major champion, didn’t put a foot wrong as she notched her 16th LPGA title but her first since the 2018 Mediheal Championship.

The New Zealander’s 28-under par total of 260 at the Kapolei Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii, put her seven in front of South Korea’s Park In-bee and Kim Sei-young, Ireland’s Leona Maguire, and American Nelly Korda.

Ko took a one-shot lead over Korda into the final round, but as the American struggled on the greens Ko marched relentlessly to victory, pushing her lead to two with a four-foot birdie at the third hole, then saving par from the front fringe at the fourth before taking firm control with four birdies in a row at the ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th.