The New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko has broken her tournament title drought on the LPGA Tour in the US.
Lydia Ko. Photo: Photosport
Ko, who has fallen from the top of the world rankings to 18th in the past 18 months, has won the Mediheal Championship in San Francisco in a sudden-death playoff against Australia's Minjee Lee.
It was the 21-year-old's 15th victory on the LPGA Tour, but first since July, 2016 when she won the Marathon Classic in Ohio.
Ko and Lee both finished their fourth and final rounds at 12-under par, before a stunning second shot on the first playoff hole set the Kiwi up for a title-clinching eagle three.
After hitting the middle of the fairway with her drive on the par five 18th, Ko almost holed her long second shot for what would have been a rare albatross two.
Lee's second shot came up short before she eventually made a birdie four, but it was not enough as Ko slotted her eagle putt from close range to take tournament honours.
While she finished in style, the final round did not come without its challenges for Ko.
After starting the day with a one-shot lead, the two-time major champion dropped three shots in her first six holes to fall into third.
Ko pulled two of those shots back with birdies at the seventh and 10th holes, but again lost her share of the lead with a fourth bogey of the day at hole 11.
Mustering all the class that had her at the top of the world rankings for more than 100 weeks, though, the Kiwi star was superb as the pressure ramped up.
Ko made birdie at the 13th and 14th holes to keep pace with Lee ahead of her, before a clutch chip from the edge of the green at the 18th forced the playoff.
The victory, which is projected to help Ko rise from 31st to ninth in the Tour's season-long points race, is her third at the Lake Merced Golf Club.
After the win she was in tears describing her success as "crazy."
"I was three over for the day at one stage and I said "hey you've just got to focus and you never know what's going to happen' and I was able to put my game together on the back nine."
The win earns Ko $320 thousand.
After winning twice there as a non-member, Ko won her first tournament as a fully-fledged part of the LPGA Tour there in 2014 and went on to defend that title in 2015.
She also made the semifinals of the 2012 US Girls Junior Championship at the course and has a worst finish there of tied for sixth in 2016.
- RNZ
