SYLVANIA, Ohio – Five shots behind with six holes to play, Danielle Kang won her second straight LPGA tournament on Sunday when Lydia Ko made a double bogey on the final hole in the Marathon Classic.
Kang started her rally with consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th holes at Highland Meadows, and then all she needed was the rest of the way to press for a 3 under 68, all because of Ko’s shocking collapse.
Ko stood up for two years and 44 tournaments without a win. She made bogey on the 14th hole, and with Kang’s birdie, the lead was suddenly down to two. Ko dropped another shot on the 16th, hitting for a while when Kang was in position for birdie on the par-5 17th and had to settle for par.
Scores for full field of the Marathon LPGA Classic
But on the final par 5, Ko fell apart. She slammed her chip through the green. With a slightly upturned in patterned rough, Ko muffled the chip and saw it roll into a bunker. She blew that out to 10 feet and missed the putt that would have forced a playoff. She wrapped up with a 73.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff, in contention for the second straight week, but still without an LPGA victory, played bogey-free after opening hole for a 67. She wrapped up in a tie for second with Ko.
Ko reached no. 1 in the world as a teenager and is now outside the top 50. Her back had been restless all week, but this turned out to be more about nerves.
Kang finished at 15-under 269 in winning for the fifth time in her LPGA career.
The two-time U.S. champion for women amateurs won last week when the LPGA restored its schedule at tough Inverness Club in nearby Toledo, next year’s Solheim Cup site.
Now Kang is a back-to-back winner and has established herself as the top American player.
Minjee Lee finished eagle birdie for a 68 to finish only in the fourth.
The LPGA, which was reopened after six months due to the pandemic, is now going to Scotland for two weeks for the Ladies Scottish Open and the Women’s Open Championship.
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