Newly minted Hall of Famer Lydia Ko wins 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews
Fifteen days ago, Lydia Ko reached the pinnacle of women’s professional golf.
She won the Olympic gold medal in Paris, cementing her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame. Questions were asked about her future and whether the 27-year-old would consider it a career. She quickly shut those talks down, saying she wanted to win more majors.
It didn’t take her long to do just that.
Ko was brilliant down the stretch Sunday in Scotland, coming from behind to win the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews. Ko birdied the 72nd hole to get to 7 under, topping defending champion Lilia Vu by one shot. It’s the third major title for Ko and the first since winning the Amundi Evian in 2016. It’s the 21st win of her LPGA career and second this season, coming after her victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January. And she did it with guts down the stretch.
Before the skies opened up and sun basked her on the 18th hole, Ko fought through a difficult back nine, but a driver of the deck on the par-5 14th for her second shot helped set up a birdie. She gave a shot back on the 15th, but she saved her round with a brilliant par save on the 16th before hitting a wood on the Road Hole, the par-3 17th, to 25 feet just past the bunker. Then, on 18, her approach settled a few feet above the hole, and her putt poured in the center.
Vu had a chance to tie Ko on the 18th, and her tee shot hit the road crossing the fairway and bounced to about 40 yards from the hole, but Vu was unable to get up and down. In fact, she three-putted to fall into a T-2 instead of solo second. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who was looking to win her third major title and second this year, led by two shots with five holes to play, but a double on the par-5 14th (and her second back-nine double of the weekend) moved her into a tie for the lead. Then, she hit her approach on the road hole into the bunker that Ko avoided, and she couldn’t save par. Needing an eagle on the 18th to tie Ko, she managed only par and finished two shots back at 5 under.
