Ko Jin-young's Revival 'Tied 6th'... Lilia Vu's 'First Victory'

Honda LPGA Thailand Final Round 4

This is the ‘comeback shot’ of Ko Jin-young, ranked 5th in the world.

On the 26th, Ko Jin-young finished the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand (total prize money $1.7 million) held at Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course (Par 72, 6,576 yards) in Chonburi, Thailand, with an 8-under-par 64, securing a tie for 6th place (16-under-par 272). The tournament featured 72 players competing in a 72-hole stroke play format with no cut-off to determine the winner.

Ko Jin-young surged with an 8-under-par in the final 4th round of the Honda LPGA Thailand, rising to a tie for 6th place.

Starting from a tie for 27th place, 12 strokes behind, Ko Jin-young showcased flawless play with no bogeys, including one eagle and six birdies. She gained momentum early by reducing five strokes over the first eight holes with birdies on holes 1 and 6, an eagle on hole 7 (par 5), and a birdie on hole 8 (par 3). She continued her strong performance in the back nine with a birdie on hole 10 (par 5) followed by consecutive birdies on holes 17 and 18. Ko Jin-young had suffered a severe slump after injuring her wrist last summer. In her last five tournaments, she missed the cut three times and withdrew once, showing her worst form. However, she demonstrated her former skill and regained top form in the first tournament of the new year.

Lilia Vu (USA) surged with an 8-under-par round to clinch the victory by one stroke (22-under-par 266). This was her first win since her debut in 2019. The winner’s prize money was $255,000 (approximately 330 million KRW). Natakrita Wongtai (Thailand), who led by four strokes the previous day, finished with a 1-under-par round and settled for 2nd place (21-under-par 267). Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) took 3rd place (20-under-par 268), while Maja Stark (Sweden) and C?line Boutier (France) tied for 4th place (17-under-par 271).

World No. 1 Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and World No. 2 Nelly Korda (USA) performed well, finishing tied for 6th. Kim Hyo-joo, ranked 9th in the world, improved by two strokes to finish tied for 10th (15-under-par 273). She was cruising at 4-under-par through 17 holes but regrettably made a double bogey on the 18th hole (par 5). South Korea’s Kim Sei-young finished tied for 20th (12-under-par 276), while Jeon In-ji, Ji Eun-hee, and Choi Hye-jin tied for 27th (10-under-par 278). Yang Hee-young, Shin Ji-eun, and Kim A-rim, who have won three titles at this event, tied for 34th place (9-under-par 279).