Lydia Ko Wins First Event In 2 Years After Near Albatross

Former world number one Lydia Ko won her first LPGA Tour event since July 2016 with a stunning near-albatross on the first playoff hole.

Ko birdied three of the final six holes to tie Minjee Lee at -12 at the end of regulation play.

Watch Ko’s winning shot here:

The Kiwi then hit a stunning approach the to par-5 last to win the LPGA Mediheal Championship – her first victory in 44 starts.

Standing in the middle of the fairway from 234 yards, Ko hit a perfect 3 wood which ran up and just missed the hole. It stopped to 2 1/2 feet and she confidently tapped in for an emotional win.

Ko only turned 21 last week and incredibly she had won 14 LPGA Tour titles before her 20th birthday.

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She has also spent more than 100 weeks as women’s world number one.

Since then, she’s changed caddies, coaches and equipment manufacturers but it may be this win that finally settles her down to start playing the kind of golf she was playing in her teens.

“It’s a huge relief because people were saying you’re not winning because of this or that and my family, friends and sponsors were just really supportive of me,” she said.

“Sometimes self pressure is the biggest thing. I put a lot on my shoulders and I’ve been trying to release it. I don’t think I ever cried for the other 14 wins.”

“I was able to hit a good shot again and I didn’t really know how close it was going to be. But just to have a two-and-a-half foot putt to possibly win the event is a pretty good feeling, but also nerve wracking, too.”

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