BOCA RATON — Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang had gone head to head for two days and 35 holes over the Boca Rio Golf Club course, so standing on the 18th tee Sunday afternoon with a one-shot lead, Ko had one thought in mind:
“Please, I don’t want to play this hole again.”
Despite hitting her drive on the 415-yard par-4 finishing hole into a fairway bunker and her 5-iron approach into a greenside bunker, Ko avoided a sudden-death playoff with her good friend, getting up and down for par and a victory in the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.
Ko, 24, shot rounds of 63-70-72-69 for a 14-under-par 274 to earn her 17th career triumph and $300,000 on a day that was forecast to be frigid by South Florida standards, but turned out to be gorgeous with cloudless blue skies, light winds and temperatures in the upper 50s.
For Kang, whose runner-up finish followed her victory in the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando, her 4-under 68, like too many of her putts Sunday, came up just short.
“I played some really good golf out there. I hit some quality shots, today and yesterday,” said Kang, who was tied with Ko at 11 under after two rounds and was paired with her Saturday.
Ko shot even par that day and Kang, who opened with rounds of 65-68, shot 74 to begin the final day two shots behind.
Both players birdied the par-5 first hole, but Ko bogeyed the second and Kang birdied the third to pull into a tie at 11 under. Both birdied the 11th, then Kang birdied the 12th to take the lead at 13 under.
Kang, 29, a California native who lives in Las Vegas, bogeyed the par-3 13th when she missed the green to the left, pitched on but failed to convert the 5-foot par putt. Ko regained the lead at 13 under with a birdie at the 15th. At the par-5 16th, Ko rolled in her uphill birdie attempt, but Kang made a shorter, more breaking birdie putt on top of it to remain close.
At the par-3 17th, Kang’s birdie putt stopped inches short of the hole and Ko two-putted for par. At the 18th, Kang had about a 20-footer to tie, but it slid just past the hole.
“I felt like she was going to hole it. She putted so good today,” Ko said. “I feel like even the ones that didn’t go in had a high chance of her making.”
“The last hole, that was a really great shot into that pin,” said Kang. “I hit a great putt, but it didn’t break. The greens are really tough to read out here.
“The three-footers were really hard for me because the ball kept sitting in a hole. I hit two putts that were in a hole and they bounced out and didn’t even hit the cup.”
Yuka Saso of Japan shot a 5-under 67, highlighted by birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, to finish third at 12-under 276. Charley Hull of England shot 68 to end up tied for fourth at 11-under with Celine Boutier of France, who shot 69 playing with Ko and Kang.
“I played really well today,” said Hull, who had three birdies on her front nine and two birdies and a bogey on the back. “I started off pretty good and hit it close on the back nine on pretty much most holes. I just couldn’t get the putts going in. I was making good strokes, but just misreading them a little bit.”
Canadian Brooke Henderson, who was 6-under through her first 10 holes with four birdies and an eagle, shot 68 to tie for sixth with Lexi Thompson of Delray Beach at 7 under.
“The front nine was a lot of fun,” Henderson said. “We were making some birdies and I was really running and trying to chase down that lead as best I could. Making the turn, it looked like if I could have a solid back nine I could post a low score in the clubhouse. Unfortunately I didn’t finish off the way I wanted to, but I definitely started the way I wanted to.”
Jessica Korda of Jupiter shot 71 to finish in a seven-way tie for 20th at 2 under that included her sister, Nelly, who will fall to No. 2 in the world rankings behind Jin Young Ko.
World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb of Boynton Beach shot 74 to finish at 4 over, and Jaye Marie Green of Jupiter also shot 74 to finish at 9 over.
