RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Even history couldn’t stop Patty Tavatanakit Sunday at the ANA Inspiration.
Lydia Ko shot one of the greatest final rounds in LPGA major championship history on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club, but all that did was put Ko within shouting distance of the dominant Tavatanakit.
Tavatanakit, a rising 21-year-old star from Thailand and UCLA, completed a wire-to-wire victory to make the major championship her first LPGA win. Starting the day with a five-shot lead, Tavatanakit did everything she needed to do on a warm, windless day in Rancho Mirage to hold onto the victory.
“I was playing my own game and didn’t look at the leader board at all today,” Tavatanakit said.
But Ko’s heroics, scorching the Shore Course for a tournament-tying single-round record 62, included a tournament-record 29 on the front nine and kept the tournament title in doubt until late in the day. In the end, though, Ko could get no closer to Tavatanakit than two shots.
Tavatanakit’s 4-under 68 Sunday gave her an 18-under 270 total, one shot shy of the event’s scoring record of 19-under set in 1999 by Dottie Pepper.
“I just kept hitting good shots and my putting, I rolled it well just didn’t read it well today,” Tavatanakit said. “But overall I feel like I really stuck to my gameplan and I overcome the adversity out there. It was tough mentally, and there was a lot going on and I felt like I handled it pretty well.”
Ko finished at 16-under, threatening on the back nine to shoot the second 59 in LPGA history until a string of six pars in her final seven holes.
Cruise control for final 18 holes
While Ko’s round made the tournament interesting Sunday afternoon, the truth is Tavatanakit was in control of the tournament all day. That was evident from the second hole when Tavatanakit’s second shot on the par 5 trickled into the back rough, but she chipped the ball in for an eagle-3 that seemed to end all suspense for the day by giving her a seven-shot lead for the moment. a birdie on the par-3 eighth put Tavatanakit at 17-under for the tournament.
What Tavatanakit didn’t know was the Ko was sizzling to a 7-under 29 on the front nine. That included a birdie-eagle and four more birdies in the next seven holes. Having started the day eight shots back, Ko suddenly three shots back.
“I don’t think it was like there was an exact moment where I felt like, okay, this is going to be a good one,” said Ko, 23 but a 15-time LPGA major winner despite having not won since 2018. “Especially around a course like this, you just have to focus until that last putt drops in the last hole.”
Birdies on the 10th and 11th holes put Ko in the middle of the 15-under and just two shots back of Tavatanakit, but Ko’s round slowed after that. Tavatanakit, on the other hand, moved to 18 under with a one-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole. After that, Ko and Tavatanakit combined for just one birdie the rest of the round, a birdie by Ko on the par-4 15th.
Neither player went for the island green in two on the par-5 18th despite the 485-yard tees, both laying up and two-putting for routine pars.
Overshadowed by the brilliant golf at the top were some of the LPGA’s biggest names who floated well behind the lead in a tight battle for third. Eventually, Nelly Korda, Sei Young Kim, Shanshan Feng and Nanna Koerstz Madsen all tied for third at 11-under, one shot ahead of Jin Young Ko, Inbee Park and Ally Ewing.
A smiling Ko said she was happy with the progress of her game under new coach Sean Foley, coming so close to breaking her winless streak and crawling back from so far behind Tavatanakit to start the day.
“I think it just shows it doesn’t matter how far back you are, you can always go for it. As long as you have one hole in front of you, there is always a chance to make birdie or eagle.
What a Sunday finish
Lowest rounds in an LPGA major all-time
61: Hyo Joo Kim (2014 Evian Championship)
62: Minea Blomqvist (2004 AIG Women’s Open)
62: Lorena Ochoa (2006 ANA Inspiration)
62: Mirim Lee (2016 AIG Women’s Open)
62: Lydia Ko (2021 ANA Inspiration)
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ANA Inspiration: Patty Tavatanakit edges Lydia Ko for first LPGA win