ST ANDREWS, Scotland — Lydia Ko achieved a remarkable victory on Sunday at the Old Course, securing her third major title by birdieing the final hole at St Andrews.
The day was filled with challenging weather conditions—wet, windy, and cold—but it contributed to a thrilling finale in one of the most exciting rounds of the 2024 LPGA Tour season. Ko entered the day trailing 54-hole leader Jiyai Shin by three strokes at 4-under par but quickly made a birdie on the par-4 4th hole, bringing her to 5-under and narrowing the gap to two shots from the lead. A bogey from Shin on hole three allowed her to drop to 6-under, resulting in a tie for the lead with Lilia Vu. Ko was then just one shot back, positioned at 5-under alongside Nelly Korda.
Korda birdied the fifth hole to join Shin and Vu at 6-under, while Ko lagged just one shot behind. However, a bogey on the sixth hole saw Ko slip back to 5-under. Korda then birdied the seventh, rejoining Shin and Vu at the top before Shin birdied the 7th hole, regaining a two-shot advantage over Ko.
Korda continued her momentum with a birdie on the ninth, reaching 7-under, while Ko made her birdie on the par-4 10th, putting her at 6-under. Korda surged further ahead with another birdie on the 10th, moving to 8-under, leaving Ko and Vu trailing at 6-under.
Vu faced challenges with bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes, dropping to 4-under. Meanwhile, Shin dropped back to 6-under after a bogey on hole 11, allowing Ko to move into a tie for second with Shin. Vu managed to rebound by birdying the 12th, while Ko birdied the 14th to stay at 7-under, still one shot behind Korda. However, Ko bogeyed the 15th, falling back to 6-under.
In a dramatic turn, Korda recorded a double bogey on the 14th hole, which tied her, Ko, and Shin for the lead at that moment. Vu re-engaged the competition with a birdie on the 14th, creating a four-way tie at the top with four holes remaining.
As rain started to fall at St Andrews, the players focused on paring their remaining holes. Ko managed to record solid pars on 16 and 17, arriving at the 18th hole needing a birdie to assume the clubhouse lead at 7-under. She successfully found the fairway and, with a good approach shot landing near six feet from the pin, she sank the birdie putt to finish at 7-under overall.
Korda dropped back with a bogey on 17, and Shin fell as well. Lilia Vu was the last contender with a shot at catching Ko but, after nearly reaching the green, she three-putted on the final hole to finish at 5-under, handing Ko a two-shot victory.
Reflecting on her win, Ko expressed her delight in the post-match press conference. “It’s been a crazy past few weeks,” she said. “Something that was too good to be true happened, and I honestly didn’t think it could be any better, and here I am as the AIG Women’s Open Champion this week. Being at the Old Course at St Andrews makes it so much more special. I just loved being out there this week.”