Victory by 1 Hole in T-Mobile Match Play Final
Second Tour Win in 5 Years and 3 Months
Coughlin Finishes Runner-Up, No Koreans Reach Quarterfinals
Madeleine Sakstrom (Sweden) was crowned Match Queen.
Madeleine Saxstr?m is teeing off at the 15th hole in the T-Mobile Match Play final. Las Vegas=Photo by AFP Yonhap News
On the 6th (local time), at the Shadow Creek Golf Course (par 72, 6,765 yards) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, she defeated Lauren Coughlin (USA) by 1 hole in the final of the LPGA Tour T-Mobile Match Play (total prize money $2 million). This marked her second tour victory in 5 years and 3 months since winning the Gainbridge LPGA in January 2020. The winner's prize money was $300,000 (approximately 440 million KRW).
Sakstrom had not decided the match against Celine Boutier (France) by the 17th hole in the quarterfinals the day before, so she continued the remaining holes from the morning of the next day. She edged out Boutier on the first hole of the playoff to advance to the semifinals, where she defeated Angel Yin (USA) by 4 holes to reach the final.
In the final, Sakstrom seemed to be heading for an easy victory by winning 4 holes up to the 6th hole (par 4), but Coughlin fought back and tied the match at the 11th hole (par 4), then took the lead at the 12th hole (par 4). Sakstrom immediately won the 13th hole (par 3) to level the match again, and at the 16th hole (par 5), she took advantage of Coughlin’s double bogey to maintain a 1-hole lead until the end.
In this tournament, Korean players Kim Se-young, Kim A-rim, and An Na-rin reached the round of 16, but none advanced to the quarterfinals. The LPGA Tour will continue with the JM Eagle LA Championship (total prize money $3.75 million) at El Caballero Country Club in Los Angeles, California, USA, for four days starting from the 17th.
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