Lydia Ko (-23) has conquered this Sunday the Kroger Queen City Championship, a tournament of the LPGA Tour that has been played on the TPC River’s Bend course. It is the third victory of the season for the oceanic golfer and the second consecutive one after the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews. The fight to be the best player of the year on the LPGA Tour is getting tighter. What seemed like a military walk for Nelly Korda, with six victories, including a Major, in 2024, is no longer so clear.
Ko took the trophy with an exceptional Sunday round. The brand new member of the Golf Hall of Fame signed a card of 63 strokes, nine under par, and overwhelmingly surpassed Jeeno Thitikul (-18). The Thai golfer started the day with a two-stroke lead over Ko, but had to give in to the New Zealander’s push. The key moment of the round occurred just at the beginning of the last nine holes. Thitikul made a bogey on the 9th and Ko got within a single stroke and practically finished the job with consecutive birdie-eagle on holes 10 and 11. Her performance on the greens was devastating.
With this victory, Lydia is getting closer to Korda in the Race to CME Globe, even though the American is defending her position tooth and nail. This week she finished fifth. She still has more than 1,200 points of margin, so Ko is going to need a fabulous Asian tour to overtake the Florida golfer. It won’t be easy, but at least she’s giving herself a chance. She has dressed up as Xander Schauffele, if we compare her with the PGA Tour.
On the other hand, Azahara Muñoz (-7), the only Spanish player present in the tournament, finished in 39th place with four rounds of 70, 73, 70 and 68. That last Sunday push is more valuable than it may seem. She won a good handful of positions and it has allowed her to score in the ranking. Even so, the Malaga native still needs a good push and her opportunities are running out. This week the tournament is in Arkansas, then comes the Asian tour, where she is not expected to play, and she would have one last chance in Florida, just before the circuit’s final.
