Lydia Ko Wins First Event In 2 Years After Near Albatross

The Kiwi hit a phenomenal shot on the first playoff hole

lydia ko wins
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The 21-year-old eagled the first playoff hole to win again on the LPGA Tour

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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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV